


Moonlit Nights

by JoshtheOverlander



Series: Moonlit Nuzlocke Adventures [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Multi, Nuzlocke Challenge, Pokemon, Pokemon Moon Version
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:07:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27595262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoshtheOverlander/pseuds/JoshtheOverlander
Summary: Jacky Ashford and his mother have moved to Alola to start off a fresh life, thanks to the aid of Professor Kukui. Jacky's sister has gone on her own journey, while his mother's long since left her own to history. Now it's his turn to be a Pokemon trainer and start his own adventure. However complications begin to shake up in the tropical islands of Alola, making the journey a bit... hectic, to say the least.Moonlit Nights is my biggest effort to tackle a long-term story yet, with plans for lore to be explored beyond what the games offer. Battles are given a good expansion beyond the simple one-two attack exchange of the games, even for those instances of one-shotting the opponent! On top of that, characters both human and Pokemon are given moments of time to just be themselves between plot beats. The story may only have Part 1 of 4 on the brink of completion, but the adventure will only continue growing from here and chapters may be on the shorter side at first, but the further it goes along the greater the content!
Series: Moonlit Nuzlocke Adventures [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017343
Collections: Nuzlocke Forums Content





	1. Under the Moonlight

He stood in an isolated cave, strange gemstones protruding from the walls and a narrow path leading up towards another enclosed space with just a single shaft of light penetrating the alien environment around him. He felt urged on to run towards that light shaft and embrace the moon’s light, but as he neared it, something unearthly appeared and struck.

“Mrowwrr!!” He awoke with a start and breathed heavily as he realized that it was all just another nightmare. Turning to face his mother’s Meowth, he calmed himself and slipped out of bed, getting dressed into a navy blue gingham shirt with a pair of denim blue cargo pants. After having dressed himself, he stepped out of his bedroom with Meowth to find his mother, Mary, unpacking the last couple of boxes left from the move. 

She had bright red, wavy hair that clashed with the dim night light outside the windows. As she took notice of him, she set down a bronze star ornament and looked at him with round, jubilant green eyes. “Morning, sleepy head!” she greeted. 

“Morning,” he responded drowsily, trying to make it seem like he was still waking up from a good rest. “Only a few left?” 

“Yep! I’m pretty sure the only things still packed are house ornaments,” she confirmed, waving him over to her side. He followed her out onto their house’s side porch, looking across the horizon, a distant sea shining in the moonlight. “What a beautiful place,” she sighed.

“Yeah, it looks great at night,” he agreed, letting a small smile spread across his face.

“So, are you excited to see some new Pokemon?” she asked him.

“Oh, uh, I guess…?” he said with uncertainty. He honestly wasn’t certain about this, but both his mother and father were experienced trainers themselves and if his mom was letting him do this, maybe it’d be alright. 

Mary sighed and shook her head casually, muttering, “My goodness, I wish you’d get more excited sometimes.” As she smiled and prepared to say something, the doorbell rang, interjecting in the conversation. “Come in!” she called to the front door.

A brown-skinned man wearing a pair of shorts, a cap, an open labcoat with literally nothing underneath stepped into the house. “Yo, Mary! I’m here, and hello there, cousin!” He looked to Jacky who seemed a bit uncomfortable with the unnecessary abs game he was bringing. “You must be Jacky, huh? I gotta tell ya, that’s a name that’ll really strike like a Thunderbolt!”

He snapped himself out of his discomforted daze and said, “O-Oh, thank you! And you are...Professor Kukui, right?”

“Right you are, oh yeah!” he cheered. “So, are you ready to get your Pokemon from the Kahuna?” He smiled brightly upon the child as Jacky slowly nodded his head. 

“Yeah, I think I am…”

Kukui’s smile dropped as he looked down at Jacky for a moment before he raised up a smile again and looked to Mary. “I’ll keep an eye on him the entire way to Iki Town, Mary!”

“Thanks, Kukui, you two be safe out there! Jacky, don’t forget to put on your jacket before you go, and make sure to grab something from the fridge while you’re at it.” She pulled her son in for a hug, squeezing him tight for a moment before sending him off to his room.

Jacky opened his closet and pulled out his black utility jacket and pulled it on immediately. Even if it wasn’t currently Winter, he’d have brought this jacket out with him regardless. His mom found it funny how often he wore it, sometimes calling it his safety blanket. Maybe she was right or maybe it was just habit. Either way, he was ready now.

Jacky grabbed a cold cut sandwich and left the house with Kukui, the two heading out onto Route 1. “You know, Jacky, having a Pokemon won’t be so bad,” he said. They headed up the hill and found two people battling with their Pokemon. It seemed relatively tough, but simplistic, and the two trainers seemed to be having fun. Even their Pokemon had a passion in their eyes. “Pokemon can open your eyes to so many new ideas and perspectives.”

The boy felt Kukui’s hand on his shoulder, a small comfort to try and help him feel a bit better about this new responsibility he’d soon have. He nodded and gave the professor a slight smile. “But first I need to be open to it, right?”

“Yeah, that’s it, Jacky, yeah!” he concurred joyously. “That’s what you need! So, are you open to it?”

He took a deep breath and smiled just a bit wider before looking to Kukui and nodding. “Of course! It’s only the very least I can do!!” He wasn’t entirely sure if he’d be good at this, but this was only the first time he’d ever been an actual trainer. Besides, at the very least, taking care of his own Pokemon shouldn’t be too hard, right?

“Alright, then let’s get going to Iki Town! We’re almost there!” Kukui declared, heading off through an archway, Jacky following close behind. The two passed through the archway and into Iki Town proper, heading up another incline towards what looked like a sumo arena. Kukui looked around the area, but frowned. “Where are they? They were supposed to meet us right here! Maybe they got caught up…?”

“Why don’t we wait around? I could see the town,” Jacky suggested. He looked towards a series of steps towards a canyon and found his curiosity rising. He’d read a brochure of MeleMele Island during the flight and he knew what that would lead to. “I’ll be at the ruins, okay?”

“You got it, cousin! I’ll come get you when Kahuna Hala arrives!” Kukui replied as he headed for the arena.

Jacky smiled and ran for the steps, rushing up them, eager to see the ruins that supposedly house MeleMele’s legendary guardian deity, Tapu Koko. The steps led to a huge swerving hill path, which then gave way to further steps as the climb got steeper. As he finally reached the top, he spotted someone ahead. Another tourist, maybe?

He continued onward, focused on seeing the ruins. However, as she became alerted to his presence and turned to face him, everything else seemed to fade out. Her white hat and dress, and even her blonde hair seemed to glow under the moonlight. Her pale skin and round green eyes made her seem almost ethereal.

“Ah...Hello...?”

As if snapping him to attention, his face flushed as he declared, “I WASN’T STARING!!” Louder than usual, as he’d realize far too late. However, before he could try to rectify this with a quick lie or perhaps an apology, something seemed to interject.

“Pew!!” Something shot out of the bag she’d been holding to her side, what looked like a miniature galaxy floated happily in the air. Was that a Pokemon? It wasn’t any that Jacky had ever seen before!

The tiny thing floated off over the bridge, heading for the ruins, but the cawing of a small flock of Spearow stopped it in its tracks long enough to see them coming in from above. The three bird Pokemon dove in and attacked with their talons, scratching at the little guy again and again.

“Nebby!!” the girl cried in distress as she watched the poor thing get hit again and again. She looked to Jacky and grabbed his sleeve. “Please, save Nebby!”

Jacky looked back towards the defenseless Pokemon being grouped up on by the three Spearows and then to the bridge. It looked like it’d seen better days, but as he looked back between the girl and the small Pokemon, he came to a decision. Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he took his first step onto the bridge, holding onto the rope tightly as he steadily made his way towards the attack. 

After finally getting in close enough, he reached down for the little guy before a pair of talons came down and slashed his forehead. Instinctively, he threw himself over Nebby and kept himself as low as he could. As the attack continued, he heard a small hum beneath him and suddenly a wave erupted from Nebby, pushing back the Spearows and destroying the bridge below them. The two were now in freefall and all Jacky could do was hold the little Pokemon close to him. However, coming in from above, something dove down, smacking the three Spearow away with an electrified swat, and swooped in just in time to save the two from a terrible fate.

Jacky was deposited back on the cliffside next to Lillie with Nebby tucked in his arms. Landing just a few feet away from them was the guardian himself, Tapu Koko. The electric deity of MeleMele Island. It was quite astonishing, seeing him so close, it was astonishing to have been saved by him! However, before anything could be said, Tapu Koko flew off out of sight. 

“Are you alright?” This snapped Jacky out of his revery as he looked upon the girl again.

“Uh, yeah. I’m...I’m alright,” he said slowly. With time to process what had just happened, his legs began to shake and he soon found himself falling back on the ground. “Wha- Are you okay?”

“L-Lugia’s tides, that was mortifying…” He seemed to be panicking despite the catastrophe having already come and gone. The little Pokemon that the girl called Nebby floated over to his face, looking upon him with a smile. “H-Hey, little guy. You alright?”

“Pew!” It sounded happy enough, so he took that as a yes.

“Oh, Nebby, you tried to use your power again, didn’t you? The last time you did that, you couldn’t move for ages!” she laid in. “I don’t want to see you like that again!” She sighed and took a breath. “No...I shouldn’t say that. I’m sorry, Nebby…” She looked back to Jacky and held out a hand for him, which he took gratefully, helping him to his feet. “Thank you so much for helping us out of that dangerous spot.”

As he dusted himself off, he sighed and said, “No, I didn’t really do that much…” He wished he could’ve done more, but that cut threw him into a panic. Speaking of that cut, it was now bleeding, which is what now threw her into a panic.

“Oh my goodness, you’re bleeding!” She reached into her bag and pulled out a handtowel and pressed it to his forehead, making him wince as he felt the sting. “I’m sorry!” she said quickly as she held the towel to his cut.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “So, if you don’t mind me asking...who are you?”

She seemed hesitant as she pondered that question for a moment. “I’m Lillie…And you?”

“My name’s Jacky,” he answered.

She smiled a bit and guided his hand to hold the towel up before stepping towards Nebby. “Alright, Nebby, back in the bag. We can’t have anyone seeing you.” Nebby seemed perfectly fine with that, flying into the bag hanging from her shoulder. She looked back and asked, “I hate to ask more of you, but would you mind keeping Nebby a secret? I don’t want too many people to know about him…And would you also be so kind as to escort me back to Iki Town…?”

He seemed to be at pause for a moment, but agreed to both. He wasn’t certain why Nebby had to be kept a secret though. Maybe he was a rare Pokemon and she didn’t want anyone stealing him? Well, either way, it didn’t matter right now. As Lillie headed towards the hill, he noticed something peculiar on the ground and kneeled down to pick it up. It was an oddly-shaped Sparkling Stone. It was warm at the touch, as if someone had been holding onto it not long ago...did Tapu Koko leave this for him…?


	2. A Little Litten Named Cinnamon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky's about to take on the first challenge of many as a Pokemon Trainer, one that many have struggled and even lost their delicate minds to the abyss over...
> 
> The decision of his Starter Pokemon!
> 
> Well, okay, it didn't take him that long, but I gotcha for a second, didn't I?

The two strolled back down to Iki Town, Jacky keeping the towel over his cut as they moved quietly. "What a first day," he said. He sighed with an exhaustive chuckle as they reached the bottom of the hill.

"Hey, cousin, you're back!" Kukui rushed in, saying, "I was just about to come find you." After getting a closer look at Jacky, he stepped forward. "Woah, what happened to you?"

"He tried to save Nebby from some Spearow," Lillie spoke up. As Kukui gently pulled the towel away to see the cut, the blonde-haired girl felt a chill roll up her spine. "Kukui, maybe you shouldn't-"

"Woo! That looks like it really smarts," he chipped in with a whistle. "Bet you wish you had some serious Foresight, huh?" Jacky scowled up at Kukui, finding the pun in poor taste, giving the professor a laugh. "Well, you look fine now."

"He's better than fine, Kukui! He's gained a new experience!" A stout man with tan skin closed in on everyone. He seemed to be open and relaxed, looking at Jacky's cut, which had stopped bleeding a few minutes ago. "I presume you're Jacky?"

He nodded and looked the man over a bit before asking, "And you are…?"

"Ah, yes! Pardon me, I am Kahuna Hala!" he answered, "I apologize for making you wait, but I am here now." He pulled out three pokeballs and tossed them up, out of the balls emerging three Pokemon. "Let's get right down to it. Which will you choose? The grass-type, Rowlet?" Rowlet cooed as his feathers ruffled out a bit. "The water-type, Popplio?" Popplio clapped her paws together happily as if it appreciated the attention. "Or the fire-type, Litten?" Litten was...asleep.

Jacky couldn't help but chuckle, thinking of the small Pokemon as a funny little guy. His laugh seemed to make Litten stir, a bright yellow eye opening up to look at him. "You love to nap, don't you?" he said with a smile as he crouched down and reached a hand out, waiting for a moment before petting Litten.

"So, I assume you wish to take Litten?" Hala asked.

"Hm…" He looked between the other choices, Rowlet looking at them curiously, and Popplio seeming a bit upset. "Sorry, you two, but I think I'll choose Litten." Litten let out a small meow and got to his feet, hopping onto his shoulder.

"Very well then! With that, I bid you and Litten good luck!" Hala stated firmly.

Kukui smiled at the pair of them, as did Lillie. "Well, Jacky, wanna go show off your new friend to your mother?" he asked. Jacky nodded and pet Litten again, giving him some chin scratches, feeling a bubbly sensation as Litten purred delightedly.

"He seems so happy," Lillie commented. "I'm glad you chose such a nice Pokemon! Remember to take good care of him!"

"Yeah, I promise! I'll make sure not to fall into any ravines too," he said, trying to be coy. Lillie seemed genuinely distressed though. "I was just joking!"

"Ravine? What are you talking about, cous-" Kukui started before being interrupted.

"Hey, hey, hey! Tutu!" A dark-skinned boy with black hair came barreling in as if the chase was on! "Sorry I'm late! I got super caught up on Route 1! But I'm here for my Pokemon now!" He rushed over to the pokemon still available and looked them over, quickly scooping up Rowlet and holding him up. "Hey, hey, you wanna be my partner?"

Rowlet cooed joyously spanning his wings out enough to fly up to the boy's shoulder. Now perched there, Rowlet eyed Litten closely seeming eager for something. Litten seemed to share that intent as his tail waved around and a small flare lit up on his back.

"Wow, looks like they're raring to go! Wanna have a Pokemon battle?" the boy asked Jacky. Forget the Pokemon, this kid seemed more excited than Rowlet and Litten combined.

"Uh, sure...But, mind if I get your name first?" Jacky replied slowly. He wasn't expecting a battle this soon. Still, maybe it'd be for the best!

"Oh, right! Name's Hau! You're that new kid, Jacky, right?" he replied. "Old Tutu and Kukui have been talking about you all the time lately!" If Hala really was as close with Kukui as he seemed, that wasn't a surprise. Jacky and his mother had been in contact with Kukui for a little while before their flight to Melemele Island.

"Yeah, that's me. So, how do we do this? Should we just start now?" he asked a bit cautiously.

"Let's get some distance first," he said. "I've watched old Tutu do this a lot!" He backed away from Jacky a bit, Rowlet flying off his shoulders and onto the ground, Litten doing the same. "Alright, let's do this!"

"Litten, use Ember!" Jacky commanded, little Litten's back flaring up as he shot a small fireball at Rowlet. The little owl got hit dead on and shook his feathers a bit in response, flying in on Hau's command, shooting off several leafs at Rowlet and scratching him up a bit. With Rowlet having spent time to focus on his aim, Litten unleashed another Ember on the bird, knocking him out of the air and ending the fight.  
"Whoo, that was quicker than I thought," Hau laughed heartily. "Nice job!"

"Not really, I just kept using Ember," Jacky said, smiling in spite of his words. "C'mere, boy!" Litten turned around and hopped into his arms. "You did good!" He looked over to the rest of the group and said, "Well, if that's all, I'll be heading home now!"

However, just as he turned to leave, Hala caught something in his sights. "Hold on, Jacky. May I see that Sparkling Stone?" Jacky was surprised that he noticed it, but pulled it out of his back pocket regardless and handed it to him. After a brief examination, Hala looked up from the stone and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Oh right, I never mentioned that part. See, when I was trying to help Nebby, the bridge collapsed underneath us and Tapu Koko saved us. When Lillie and I went to leave, I found this stone on the ground." Everyone but Lillie seemed shocked by this new information, as Hala seemed to contemplate something.

"Why didn't you mention that first?" Kukui asked incredulously. "Almost falling into a ravine is pretty big stuff, yeah?"

"Sorry, I didn't think it mattered anymore," he stated. "It happened, and that was it."

"More importantly, you were saved by Tapu Koko. Though he is our guardian, he is somewhat fickle," Hala informed the boy. "And for him to even grant you something like this...Forgive me, Jacky, but I must ask that you allow me to keep this for now. Do not worry, I swear to you that I shall return it tomorrow."

"Um...okay, go ahead." It was rather strange and Hala seemed to stress the importance of the stone. "What exactly is it?"

"Ho, ho! You shall see!" he declared boisterously. "For now, may you return home safely, and have a good night.

"Here, Jacky, why don't Lillie and I escort you home, yeah? Wouldn't want you to go falling into-" He caught a pout from Lillie as the professor echoed the joke Jacky made earlier. "Yeah, let's get going!"

Jacky smiled and stifled some laughs, if nothing else than to not upset Lillie, though he had to admit, she looked really cute in a kind of funny way. "Sure!"

* * *

Within roughly fifteen minutes, the trio arrived at the house. "So this is where you live? It looks pretty cozy!" Lillie said.

"Yeah, it's good, I guess. I mean, I'm gonna miss Kanto a lot, but this is a good place," Jacky replied with a small sigh. "Wanna come inside?"

"Oh no, I don't want to intrude," she quickly stated.

"Pfft, that's why I'm inviting you, it's no intrusion!" he laughed. Either she was very proper or not too social. Could be both.

Kukui stepped forward, his nose twitching a bit, smelling the air. "Well, if I can get some of whatever it is that is, I'll take that invite faster than a Quick Attack!" He stepped towards the door and let himself in...again. "Hey, what's up, Mary!"

"Kukui, do you have to let yourself in every time," Mary responded from inside the house.

"I was Attracted by that tasty smell, I couldn't help myself! It's like you know Aromatherapy, yeah!" As the conversation went along, Lillie and Jacky just watched him disappear into the house with some time to process the professor's complete lack of restraint.

"Well, the professor probably won't be leaving any time soon, so come on!" Jacky smiled as he stepped towards the door, looking back and waiting for Lillie to follow. After a moment's hesitation, she finally accepted the invitation and entered the house.

As Lillie politely closed the door behind them, Litten hopped out of Jacky's arms to explore the house. "What a little cutie!" his mother exclaimed, watching Litten trot around the house, hopping onto the table to get a vantage point. "So that's the Pokemon you chose? What's his name?"

"Well, he's called Litten, and-"

"No, I mean, what are you going to call him?" she reiterated. "You don't expect to just go on a journey with him and call him that, are you?"

"Oh, well I never thought about it...I guess…" He looked at Litten, watching him roam the house before settling on thinking it over later. "So, what are you making, mom?"

"Shepherd's Pie!" she said slowly, giving him a knowing smile as Jacky's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I figured since you'll be a trainer from now on, we could celebrate a little!" She looked to Lillie and smiled at her. "I assume you'll be joining us for dinner?"

"I suppose I will be," she said politely, shooting an accusatory glance to Kukui, who was just breathing in the aroma of the dinner. The cheese, the mashed potatoes, the beef and lamb, the spice~ "Thank you for having me, Mrs…."

"Ashford! Mary Ashford! It's good to see my boy making friends already," she answered. "And such a nice girl too. What's you're name?"

"Oh, of course! My name is Lillie, thank you, again, for having me, Mrs. Ray!" As Mary pulled out a few extra plates for Kukui and Lillie, the latter took her seat at the table, watching Jacky as he opened the fridge, tilting her head in confusion. "Aren't we about to have dinner? Why are you…" She stopped herself, however, as Jacky pulled out a big mug of coffee, bringing it to the table with him after shutting the fridge door. "C-Cold coffee…?"

"Mhm. I like my coffee cold," he answered. From looks alone, his beverage had quite a bit of cream inside and there was the undeniable swirl of cinnamon inside as well, however with the coffee so cold, guessing the flavor would be difficult with the lack of aroma. "You want some coffee too?

"No thank you," she said. "I'm not a big fan of coffee." As the Shepherd's Pie was brought in and split among plates, she noticed Litten hop up onto the table again and look at Jacky's coffee. The moment it took a single lick while Jacky wasn't paying attention, it's expression softened at it seemed eased. "Um...Jacky?"

"Huh? GAH! Litten, what are you doing?" Jacky swept Litten into his hands and dropped him gently onto the floor. After inspecting his coffee, Jacky groaned and muttered, "He managed to get all the cinnamon... " As he quietly accepted his coffee's fate, he drank some before stopping, setting down the cup, and looking back at Litten. "Cinnamon...Actually, that doesn't sound bad!" He leaned over and scratched the little furball under the chin and asked, "How does the name Cinnamon sound, little guy?"

"Mrrroww!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As y'all can probably tell, as I've stated in the first summary, the chapters don't start off long and they're a touch shoddy, but it wasn't long before I stepped things up to give the story a boost in quality. Side note: Jacky's full name used to be Jacky Ray, but that didn't ever quite feel like a good name, so I finally decided to change it at some point writing this story. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you're enjoying this so far!


	3. To the Iki Town Festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky and his mother are invited up to Iki Town for a party to battle others, eat, drink, and be merry!

Jacky woke up as Cinnamon knocked over a figurine of a Mega Gallade from a tv show he watches. "What the...Cinnamon, come on!" He swept the sheets off with a groan as he rose up from his bed, strolling over to the figure and placing it back on his desk.

"Mrroww!" Cinnamon pawed his hand and meowed multiple times in a very needy manner. Probably hungry or something, he reckoned, and he _was_ a trainer now, after all. Jacky looked at his clock, reading 7:52 PM. A bit too early for his wake-up time. "Mrrooooow!" Cinnamon hopped to his hind legs and pressed his front paws against the boy's arm, as if trying to get him to hurry up.

"Alright, alright…" he sighed, leaving his bedroom to look through the pantry for something. After a bit of shuffling, he found a plastic box filled with a variety of colored beans. "Alright, Cinnamon, how do you feel about Pokebeans?" He pulled out a red one and held it out to him, the little cat sniffing it briefly, but gobbling it up quickly afterwards. He seemed rather satisfied by it, so Jacky fed him one more bean before capping the box and putting it back.

Just as he had closed the pantry, his mom emerged from her room. "I thought I heard noises," she sighed, opening her door a bit more to let her Meowth out of the room. Cinnamon was immediately on guard and growled at the other cat, urging Jacky to pick him up and pacify him with some chin scratches. Much to his surprise, Cinnamon didn't get along with his mother's Meowth, Purr-chase. While Purr was perfectly fine with a new cat in the house, Cinnamon was apprehensive of him.

"Come on, Cinnamon, be nice." He went to his room and grabbed his Litten's pokeball and returned him for now. Just as he'd finished up, he heard their doorbell ring and stepped out of his room to see who it could be, only to find Kukui already in the kitchen conversing with his mom. "Why do you even bother using the doorbell, professor…"

Kukui turned to face Jacky offering a boisterous laugh in turn. "Don't be like that, cousin! I'm just excited for the festival! I came by to bring you along for the ride! Lillie and Hau and Hala will be there, and there'll be food too! Besides, I forgot to give you something last night…" He reached into his bag and pulled out a red handheld device with a small screen and a few buttons. "There you go, a pokedex of your very own! You know what that does, right?"

"Yeah, it shows you info on any Pokemon in the region. This one looks a bit...different from the ones back home, though." He examined the odd shape of the device and couldn't help but imagine why it would ever be shaped so oddly.

"You'll get used to it. And one more thing…" He pulled from his bag ten pokeballs and (I think it was) thirty potions. "You'll be needing these, yeah!"

Jacky was surprised he'd given him so many potions, running the numbers through his head about how much it must've cost. However, something else came to mind at the same time, which took personal priority. "Actually, Kukui, you can go on without me. I've gotta shower and eat breakfast, you know, all the et ceteras and stuff." Plus, now that he had some empty balls, he can try grabbing a new Pokemon. Jacky's one hope is that Cinammon doesn't try to maul them after they've been caught.

Kukui gave some pause before nodding in agreement. "Alright, well while you're out there, try to show me some Extreme Speed and get to the festival soon. The main event is a series of battles to appease Tapu Koko!"

"Should've figured," Jacky sighed. "I'll try to be quick about it, I promise. Anyways, I'd better get started." He turned away from Kukui and his mother and headed for the bathroom to take his shower. What a start, getting woken up early and now a festival? Sucks to be a night owl sometimes.

* * *

Jacky had finally finished all his business and threw on his utility jacket and backpack. Stepping out of his room, he saw his mom enter the house from the front door with a few pokeballs on hand herself. "What are those for?" He recognized a couple of them, the luxury ball and the ultra ball in particular.

"Don't think I didn't hear Kukui mention the main event, hon! I'm getting in on this action!" she declared excitedly. "It's been so long since our last fight, it's sure to be a blast!" She pumped a fist through the air as her balls opened up for an Espeon, a Dratini, a Swoobat, an Excadrill, a Pansage, and her trademark Serperior.

As his mother's team moved about the house curiously, he made an inquiry. "Aren't you going to bring Thanatos along, mom?"

Mary simply waved her hand dismissively and sighed with a clear disappointment. "He wasn't up for it, I'm afraid. I guess he's not the festive type or something…"

"Alright then, well, I'll see you there!" He moved towards the door and headed out towards Route 1 to get some practice in and catch a new Pokemon. After he got a good distance away from the house, Jacky tossed up Cinnamon's pokeball and let the little fluffball out.

Cinnamon darted his eyes around, looking for Purr-chase, taking a moment to notice their new surroundings. "Mrrewww…" It followed Jacky as they headed down Route 1 towards Iki Town, keeping his ears up for any suspicious noise. As they journeyed along, a small shape glided in from the side and dove down, a small black and red bird pecking Cinnamon on the head before flying around and coming back. "Rrrrooww!"

"Birds again!?" Jacky exclaimed. "Cinnamon, you know what to do!" As the bird flew in for another hit, Cinnamon spit a small fireball at it and knocked it off course. The small pokemon wound up flying right towards Jacky, who quickly grabbed a pokeball and held it out just in time for the bird's body to collide with the button, drawing it into the ball. After a few shakes, the ball stopped moving, and a tiny star popped out, signalling its capture.

A moment to process everything that just happened, to come down from the adrenaline brought on by the heat of the moment, in spite of how brief it was. As everything registered, Jacky grinned and clenched his fingers around the pokeball and pumped it into the air. "Yes! We got one!"

"Mrewww!" Cinnamon trotted around proudly as Jacky celebrated, before hopping off into the tall grass to battle a Ledyba. While Cinammon was busy singeing a bug pokemon's poor feet, Jacky popped the bird out of its ball and pulled up his pokedex, getting a good look at it before browsing through the index. Until finally he found its entry, Pikipek.

"You're a pretty fast featherhead, huh? You practically shot at Cinnamon like a bullet, didn't you?" He chuckled a bit as a name quickly came to mind off the top of his head. "How's about I call you Deagle?" The bird seemed to mull it over for a minute before chirping happily, flying up and going as fast as it could, almost like it was bragging."

"Alright, let's get moving!" He and his two pokemon headed along and repelled a number of assailants and trainers on their way up. Deagle and Cinnamon were pretty versatile for such small creatures, it made him all the happier that he didn't turn away having pokemon.

* * *

Eventually, they made it to the festival, with time to spare. There were people aplenty with food and drink and even more pokemon as well. He couldn't spot Hau or Lillie just yet, but he was certain he'd find them at some point, or vice versa. Till then, there was food to eat and he wasn't gonna turn that down. Some roast beef here, some tomatoes there, maybe even a few helpings of candied sausage. Finally, he skirted down the line and looked upon the beverages, of which he narrowed it down. Soda, OJ, some weird purple stuff, and two kinds of Sunny V...He grabbed a cup of OJ ultimately.

After selecting his spread, he walked over to one of a number of tables set up around the open arena at the base of the hill that led up to the temple and took his seat, looking over the people and pokemon present in the area. As he made a passive search for Lillie and Hau, his hands moved on autopilot and impaled pieces of beef on his fork, shoveling it into his mouth while Cinnamon and Deagle were busy scoping out the competition. "Mm...could use a bit of pepper."

"Alola!" Out of the crowd, a familiar face came barreling over to his table, while that young blonde girl followed as well as she could. Hau and Lillie reached Jacky without issue, if you couldn't count trying to match pace with Hau as an issue. "Yo, Jacky, good to see you again!"

"H-Hau, did you have to run so fast…?" Aside from that very understandable questioning, Lillie devoted no time to words and simply focused on catching her breath.

"Oh, sorry about that, Lillie!" He laughed for a brief time but sounded apologetic enough about it before turning his attention back onto Jacky. "So, you stoked for the main event, because I know I am!"

"Yeah, I'm sure creaming you in a battle again will be fun too," he said with a small smirk, of which Hau gave a wider grin and punched his shoulder.

"Well I'll just have to give it my all, won't I? Don't go getting comfortable with that win yesterday, because I'm gonna pay you back for it!"

"We'll see about that!"

Lillie looked between the two and seemed a bit concerned, but offered a smile to them and then encouragement. "I'd like to remind you that I'm not too fond of seeing pokemon hurt each other, but I'll watch your fight, so do your best."

"Pew!" Lillie looked down at her bag just in time to see Nebby try to make an escape again. Quickly, she urged him to stay inside and keep out of sight, especially after the events of yesterday.

"No, Nebby, you need to stay in the bag. Who knows what could happen with a crowd like this, and all these pokemon too!"

Jacky watched her as he picked up a sun-dried tomato and took a bite with no warning. Looking at her again after what happened last night, he seemed to confirm to himself of her beauty, though it seemed oddly diminished in the sun, as if the bright light of the greatest star seemed to show something he couldn't quite place that seemed to lessen the aesthetic appeal he'd witnessed when they first met.

Finally managing to subdue Nebby's excitable curiosity, Lillie looked up from her bag and noticed him looking at her almost absent-mindedly. "Um...Jacky is there something wrong?"

"O-Oh, nothing, sorry. I was just thinking something over, don't mind me…" He immediately shot his eyes towards his plate of food as he chastised himself within the confines of his mind over having been caught staring at her again. What's worse is that Hau was right there and could potentially tease him about this.

"Hey, hey, you got yourself a new pokemon!" Hau couldn't care less about that, it seemed, or perhaps he simply doesn't take notice of such things. Either way, it did seem like he was all the more excited for the main event than before. Actually, his expression seemed to turn somewhat sinister as he looked at Deagle, as if he was aware of something.

"...Yes, I got a new pokemon, Hau. This is my new addition, Deagle, named after the gun, y'know," he responded, wary of Hau's demeanor. "She's female though, so don't go making that mistake, okay! Something tells me that Deagle won't like it if you get that wrong just because of the name."

Hau's expression went back to its usual bright and sunny impression as he nodded in agreement to Jacky's statement. "I promise I won't go forgetting that!"

After that exchange, Lillie and Hau went off to get some food for themselves and came back to Jacky's table to converse with him. At some point, his mom stopped by to eat and join the convo, but ultimately left them to be amongst themselves for the time being.

* * *

As the sun began to near the horizon, Hala came out and called the crowd to attention, announcing the beginning of the main event, a series of pokemon battles between anyone who wished to take part. "The time has come to battle for the appeasement of our great guardian, Tapu Koko! Now, who wishes to step forth first?"

Hau took immediate action and hopped atop his seat, shooting his open hand towards the sky as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "We'll go on first, Tutu, me and Jacky!"

Though somewhat embarrassed by his new friend's lack of tact, he had to admit that Hau's energy was something to envy. He couldn't get nearly as excited for much of anything as Hau did for these kinds of things. Apparently the kid's grandfather had similar ideas as he laughed upon his grandson's unabashed declaration. "Of course, Hau, of course. Hurry to the arena, and you as well Jacky, if you accept his challenge."

Jacky rose from his seat and looked to Hala and Hau as the latter chased off towards his end of the arena for the battle. "Yes sir, I accept his challenge!" He looked back to Lillie and offered her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we won't go at it too hard!"

She smiled back and nodded and offered him a gesture to go on, watching as he joined Hau in the ring. "Good luck, you two!"

Hau looked Jacky dead in the eyes with a determined fire in his brown irises as he held up a pokeball, tossing it up and sending out a small, yellow pokemon. A very unmistakable pokemon, Pichu, to be very, very worryingly precise.

Deagle tried to hop forward to challenge Hau's Pichu, a spunky brashness being sported at the forefront of its disposition before Jacky held his foot out in front of the small bird, followed by a tense gaze and a shake of the head. "Cinnamon, you're up for this and the next fight."

"Mrrowww!" Cinnamon leaped into the ring's center, lowering its body close to the floor in a ready position.

"Aw, I was hoping to see what Deagle's made of! Oh well, let's go for some Charm, Misa!" As he commanded his Pichu to act, the tiny yellow rat pressed its cheeks together and seemed to hum cutely, putting Cinnamon a bit off.

"Cinnamon," Jacky started, grabbing the cat's attention. "Fry 'em!" Cinnamon confirmed his command and blasted Misa back with two swift fireballs, getting a bit more Charm in turn, but ultimately managing to best the small baby pokemon. "Sorry, Hau, but I'm not an idiot. Even against a baby pokemon, a flying type against an electric type is not a wise match-up!"

"Fair enough, buddy! Looks like you might just take the win again, but that doesn't mean we can't have a bit more fun! Come on out, Robin!" With another toss, Hau's Rowlet emerged from his pokeball and took Misa's place in the ring.

"Cinnamon, let's confirm this brutality and flame cook 'em!" With a bold meow, Cinnamon launched himself towards Robin, smoke brimming from his mouth as a flame welled up inside.

"Robin, use Leafage and make it quick!" The Rowlet hopped up and took flight, its wings sweeping up several leaves faintly shimmering with a green glow, sending them out in a flurry just as Cinnamon unleashed his flames upon the bird. The two attacks knocked each opposing challenger back a bit, but Cinnamon made a speedy recovery and unleashed one final blast of searing heat upon Robin, knocking him out of the air and consciousness.

"Cinnamon and Jacky have won the match!" The crowd gave a brief cheer before a thunderous cry silenced them and took everyone's attention by figurative storm. "Tapu Koko seems to be pleased with the start of our celebrations! You both were in passionate fighting spirit and displayed good thinking and determined heart!"

Jacky and Hau smiled at each other as they gathered their pokemon to leave the ring to let others step up. Mary was the next to volunteer and challenged anyone and everyone to try and best her if they can, to which a number of older trainers took that challenge, feeling ever so competitive.

Unfortunately, Mary is a very, very experienced trainer and wiped the floor with many people and only her Dratini and Espeon lost in all that time. After a while, people stopped accepting her challenge and waited for her to step down before people started engaging in battles again, something that Jacky took humor in, especially when his dear mother displayed her brimming confidence and unbridled joy in the midst of battle, even up to the point where she was clearly ruining it for everyone else.

"Wow, man, your mom's incredible!" Hau could hardly believe she was so good, but it didn't take long for Jacky to inform him that most of the people present likely didn't have a full team or even had much experience, so while it was fun to watch, and even funny, it wasn't particularly surprising when thought was put into it.

* * *

The festivities eventually came to a close as the moon came up and the sun disappeared over the horizon. Jacky basked in the moonlight with a relaxed and welcome feeling, happy to greet the night again. Before he could get too comfortable, however, Hala approached him and congratulated him once more in his battle, giving Hau a bit of praise as well. "I'd like to give you this, Jacky. Remember the Sparkling Stone you had lent me? That stone is particularly special, in that it is typically fashioned into that of an accessory that, when paired with a special crystal, can provide a powerful asset to battle. And so, having been given such a gift by the guardian himself and proving to have heart and a passion for battle, I offer you this Z-Ring and implore you to pursue the Island Challenges."

Jacky received a white bracelet with a small indentation on top, slipping it on and looking it over before gazing up at Hala. "The Island Challenges?"

"Yes, a series of trials you must overcome, migrating from island to island in order to fully complete, facing many a captain and four Kahunas in order to become stronger and grow into a truly great trainer! I'm sure it must be different from what you're used to, but it will surely be worth the journey."

"W-Well, I don't know...Mind if I sleep on this?" He probably wasn't going to decline, especially after he was given the Z-Ring by Hala and indirectly by Tapu Koko himself, but he still felt as though now wasn't the time to just up and accept something like that.

Hala nodded and offered the boy a hand upon his shoulder, in an effort to offer comfort and assurance. "Of course, you are free to think upon this as long as it may take."

"Good, because I need to get home now. Hau, Lillie, it was good to hang out with you two again!" He pat Hau on the shoulder and teased him a bit about working harder for next time before receiving some words of thanks from Lillie for the time she had spent.

With farewells out of the way, Jacky and his mother took off towards home, conversing along the way about the fun they had with friends and fights.

So many more in store for Jacky in the near future and beyond, if only he knew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty simple chapter, I promise things will pick up soon. Even still, I enjoy writing these calmer, simpler chapters from time to time. Gives me the chance to try my hand at more mundane character interaction, establish some chemistry with everyone if I'm able, and later on down the line I'll even give the Pokemon moments to be themselves.
> 
> Apologies, as well, for the abundance of transitions. Don't know why I had so many of them, I probably could've written this chapter better


	4. Deciding Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky has his doubts about being an Island Challenger, and worries about how others might judge those thoughts. Even still, it's best to be open about it, right?

Jacky wandered across a rickety bridge towards the MeleMele Island’s ruins, curious to see what it’s actually like inside. However just before he can even make it halfway, something crashes into the cliffside at the end of the bridge. Sparkling in the light, he can just make out the Sparkling Stone that makes up his Z-Ring. He takes a few steps towards it, only to stop and stare into space for a few seconds. 

His feet turned and rushed back in the opposite direction of the stone, desperate to stay away from it. However something else fell from the sky, or rather soared down into his path. Staring him dead in the eyes in far too small a gap, was Tapu Koko, emitting a sound that seemed angry. It’s body sparked and surged with electricity, the tension in the air growing immense as it the light from its power grew, until-

* * *

Jacky woke up at the sound of his alarm, increasing in volume as it continued on, as if to properly ensure he’s awake. The boy growled under his breath and smacked the snooze button, eyeing the time and smiling as he managed to wake up at the right time. It was currently eight-thirty at night, just the right time to for him to be up.

Swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and sitting himself up, Jacky yawned and stretched his limbs, his voice transitioning from a yawn, to an exhaustive groan as he finished his stretch, standing up straight as he left his bedroom. Cinnamon, who was sleeping just at the foot of his bed, woke up as well and hopped of the bed to join him, while the rest of the team simply went back to sleep. Entering the dining room, Jacky looked around before eyeing the door to the side porch, spotting his mother leaning over the the edge, looking up at the moon. He took to joining her side to see the phase this time around, a new moon, that is to say, no moon tonight. 

“Kind of a shame that the moon’s not out tonight,” he stated, leaning against the railing, mirroring his mother. He wasn’t quite as cool with the moon being virtually missing from the sky, but it was whatever. “I’m gonna make a fresh pot of coffee.” 

“You’re starting to become a mind reader, hon! Are you sure you didn’t wake up as a Kadabra or something?” His mother grinned from ear to ear as she used that bogus child’s story as a joke.

“No, you’re just getting too predictable,” he huffed jestfully. Spinning on his heel to walk to the kitchen, Jacky manages to make it halfway to the coffee maker before the doorbell rings. “Kukui again…?”

“Just make the coffee, he’ll just let himself in anyways!” This fact left Jacky somewhat unwelcome to the professor, as the man had demonstrated this fact unabashedly multiple times within half a week. Jacky continued and replaced the grounds and filter of the coffee maker, moving to fill up the coffee maker with water just in time to hear the doorbell ring again.

“Guess it’s not Kukui then…” Jacky continued to fill the coffeemaker, calling out to the visitor that he’ll be right there in a moment. After finishing and starting up the coffeemaker for a fresh pot, he made a beeline for the door, finding Lillie just behind it. “You know, you’re good manners are pretty refreshing.”

“Mm, I’ve gotten that quite a few times since I became his assistant.” She shivered a bit as the wind picked up and Jacky opened the door wider to invite her in, of which she quietly accepted. “Speaking of the professor, he actually sent me here himself. Yo, Lillie, you mind picking up Jacky while I run some Rock Smashing tests, OH YEAH!”

Laughter came in stereo as Mary emerged from the side porch sharing the hilarity of Lillie’s Kukui impression with her son. Lillie had deepened her voice and widened her mouth as she spoke to give her ease of a louder volume. The laughter seemed to give her an immediately pleasant feeling as her jab was an instant hit with them. As the laughter died down, Jacky inquired as to why Kukui needed him.

“There’s something he’d like to inform you of about your pokedex personally, also he likes to have company,” she explained. “Are you alright with that at all?”

“Sure, why not, it’s not like I had anything planned for today, but let me just get some coffee first.” Jacky moved back to the kitchen, getting his favorite mug out that read ‘Smug’ on the side, with the S bolded in red. After pouring and making himself a classic cup of joe, he whistled for Deagle and Cinnamon to get ready. Cinnamon rushed out with his backpack trailing behind and Deagle flew in struggling to carry his utility jacket, which made him chuckle rushing to grab his things before both his Pokemon could get tuckered out.

His mother stepped into the kitchen herself and prepped a cup of coffee for herself as well, using a mug with a Evolution Sentai Pokemongers design on it. “So, how’s life with Captain Shirtless, Lillie?” Mary already knew Kukui personally when the professor had spent time in Kanto, but it had been a long time since they’d seen each other up until they moved to MeleMele Island.

“He’s kindly and dedicated to his work, but I’m worried he’s just a bit too dedicated,” she answered carefully. “But he gave me a place to sleep and eat, so being his assistant is the least I can do. I just wish he’d be more cautious with his methods.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right. When I first met him in Kanto, the guy challenged Celadon City’s gym leader often just so he can get first-hand demonstrations on grass-type moves!” She started to snicker upon stating such, earning a knowing smirk from Jacky and a confused tilt of the head from Lillie. “Get this, he challenged the gym leader so many times that he ended up getting banned from the gym!”

Throughout the conversation and Lillie’s exasperation at hearing so many ludicrous tales about a younger Kukui, Jacky had finished his coffee and fed Cinnamon and Deagle. “Alright mom, I think she’s heard enough stories for one night! I mean she already lives with the genuine article anyways.”

“Right, right, you two be careful out there and say hello to Captain Shirtless for me, okay!” Mary waved them off until they’d fully left the house. After the door had shut, her smiled disappeared and her gaze went down to the dark beverage in her hands. “The least she can do, huh? What’s going on with that girl…?”

* * *

Lillie led the way to Kukui’s house, passing through the tall grass and regularly applying Repels to herself to keep Pokemon from attacking her, which kinda messed with how many ran into Jacky and his team. The two were stopped a couple of times along the way by trainers wanting to battle, but Jacky was able to put them down relatively quickly to where they wouldn’t be any more late than they already were. The final obstacle was when a Pokemon finally did emerge from the grass to engage them, a Slowpoke to be precise. 

A water/psychic-type would be a great addition to his team, despite the shortcomings of the particular Pokemon in question, so the young trainer took to capturing it, and successfully at that. Unsurprisingly given that it was a Slowpoke, it didn’t seem at all upset or repellant to being caught. In fact, it was pretty mellow, even as far as Slowpokes go, earning it the nickname Nirvana.

After that final obstacle, the two reached literally the only house that could possibly be Kukui’s, given it was the only house on the beach and…

“Why does the house look like a patchwork art assignment,” Jacky inquired, somewhat genuinely, thought he had an inkling as to the idea. 

“Well-” Before Lillie could explain away, some overly noisy commotion forced its sounds from the closed up house.

“OH YEAH, ROCKRUFF, LET’S GO!! MY BODY IS READY!!” That voice was undoubtedly Kukui’s and he could even hear the barking of a pokemon before both gave way to many a crash, bump, and boom. 

“Y’know, I’m honestly surprised this place is still standing…” Lillie wasn’t kidding about Kukui’s uninhibited methods, bringing to mind whether or not this place was even a safe place to stay in. 

Lillie sighs and explains that she’s been living with him for three months, giving Jacky a respect for her level of patience. “Given that he researches moves and abilities, I’d probably be a better assistant if I were a trainer. At the very least, I could try to contain his experiments to a less destructive leve-!” Just as she was about to finish, the sound of glass shattering cut in, jarring her from the conversation. Lillie groaned as she stepped onto the porch towards the door, stopping just at the door. “I just cleaned his labcoat this morning and now it’s probably going to be ruined and he’ll just have to buy a new one!” 

Jacky couldn’t help a grin as he heard an edge of passive aggressiveness in her tone as they stepped into the house. Rockruff was currently in the process of demonstrating Scratch on Kukui’s face, to which a quick whistle from Lillie called it off. As Kukui got up and dusted himself off, the two kids took an unfettered notice of two sizeable pieces of glass protruding from his lower abdomen. “Woah, Kukui, are you okay?” 

Kukui looked down at where the two were staring and finally noticed the glass. “Oh, so that’s why I’ve been feeling a sting. I just thought I was still feeling Rockruff’s Bite.” Lillie had already rushed to the lower level to get medical supplies while Jacky had taken a closer look.

“Perks of being a test dummy?” He was trying to be jovial, since Kukui didn’t seem worried about it. For all he knew, this probably wasn’t the first time he wound up with glass in his side. “You really need to be more careful…”

“Ah come on, Cousin, it’s all for the sake of science!” He laughed when Jacky glared at him for that statement. Lillie emerged from the basement with those square bandages, a cotton ball, and some alcohol. After pulling the glass out and patching the professor up, she went to go wash her hands. “Anyways, I wanted to ask you, do you know about the Pokemon Rotom?” 

“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t really know much about it,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. His mother is Unovan, but he was born and grew up in Kanto, so he wouldn’t know. 

“Rotom is an Electric/Ghost-type Pokemon that possesses electrical appliances and causes mischief with a variety of different secondary types based on its vessel!” Lillie had returned, giving information on the Pokemon in question with some basic know-how.

“Hey Kukui, can we trade Pokedexes?” he asked, putting a hand on Lillie’s shoulder for emphasis, trying to keep a straight face. Kukui offered a behumored half-grin at his request, while Lillie’s face turned a touch red from embarrassment. “I’m just kidding, Lillie, thanks for the quick info.”

“Anyways, the pokedex I designed is made to house a Rotom to serve as a guide, but I only have the one so I held off on handing its favorite Dex to new local trainers. But then you moved in and got your first Pokemon, and since you’re unfamiliar with Alola’s islands, I figured this would be the perfect time. Here, hand me your Dex.” Jacky was a touch unbelieving, but he pulled out his pokedex and handed it off to the professor. As he fiddled around with the device, something shot out of it in a flash of electricity and light, taking form as a Rotom’s default form.  
The Rotom buzzed irritably around the room as Kukui attempted to placate it, ultimately managing to calm it down. “Sorry for waking you up, Rotom, but I need you to properly boot yourself into the dex now and help Jacky to navigate the islands. Think you can do that?”

As if being offered a treat, it happily went to work, diving back into the dex, the small device turning on by itself and hovering into the air as the face of the Rotom appeared on-screen. “Hey, hey, Jacky boy, how’s it hanging? Can I call you Jack?”

“I’d rather you not-”

“Listen, Jack, since you don’t know squat about how to navigate the islands, I’m gonna be guiding you by the nose, ya got it! Whenever you’re ready to travel around, you say the word and up comes the map!!” As if just now noticing something, the Rotom’s face turned to one of shock. “Woah, woah, woah, my clock must be wrong or something, its nine twenty-eight in the evening! What are you doing here, sneaking out of the house or something? Hanging with friends, flirting with babes, maybe?”

Jacky was still currently processing the Rotom Dex’s very existence, but he was still conscious of his words. “Wh-What? No, I’m a night owl, that’s all!” 

“Oh is that all, zt-zt-zt? That’s kinda boring, but it’s not too-too boring!” Rotom Dex flew around Jacky, snapping a few shots of him with the built-in camera. “Well, at least you’ll be able to take a few snaps of some nocturnal ‘Mons when you’re out, am I right?”

“I didn’t even notice you had a camera.” He seemed a bit more interested in said function now that it was brought to light, grabbing Rotom Dex from the air and browsing through all its functions. “Let’s see here…”

“Alola everyone! Hau is here and ready to roll!” Hau bust into the house without any announcement or warning, standing triumphantly once again with that wide grin on his face. “Hey, this place is pretty nice! Nice rustic charm and look at that water tank!” He rushed to the huge tank containing some Luvdisks, gazing into it with wonder as clear as day on his face. After taking his fill of the water tank, his gaze drifted to the side and the wonder refreshed as he rushed towards a ladder leading up to a pseudo second floor. “Is that a loft? That’s so awesome, I wanna see it now!”

Before he could take a single step onto the first rung, Lillie grabbed his backpack and pulled him away, though it was kinda tough to pull him away from the ladder. “No, you can’t go up there, Hau! That loft is where I sleep, it’s my bedroom!” It wasn’t hard to understand why she was so averse to letting a boy into her room, but Hau wasn’t having it at all, and that kinda upset her.

“Come on, Lillie, please! I don’t have anything like this at home and I bet Jacky doesn’t either, right buddy?” Hau looked to Jacky and Lillie with pleading eyes with a somewhat sinister glint behind them, not that Lillie would notice the latter.

“But I-! Oh fine, I guess you can come on up, but Jacky goes first!” Hau was excited at first, but baffled by the end of her relentment. She looked to Jacky, awaiting his move while Hau stood off to the side with an unimpressed look on his face.

Kukui was laughing at the excitement and mischief of Hau. “Sorry, why don’t I get some drinks for everyone, yeah?” 

“Thanks, that’d be nice,” Jacky said as he walked towards the ladder. Taking his hands and feet on the rungs, he climbed up to the loft, catching sight of Lillie’s “room”. A small bookshelf, a desk with a light a couch that presumably served as her bed, a cushion and a chair or two. “It must have been hard getting the furniture up here…” The final noteworthy decoration was a sizeable Clefairy plushie, one he couldn’t help but focus on as he stood at full height atop the loft. “You like Clefairy, Lillie? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, they are a pretty popular Pokemon…”

As he’d predicted, Lillie was the second to come up to the loft, with Hau grumpily climbing the ladder last. “Yes, I actually played with a Clefairy a lot when I was younger.” She’d taken a seat on the couch while Hau climbed the ladder and looked around the open platform. “I wish she could’ve been here.” She sounded somber, like she were talking about a friend she’d missed dearly for so long.

“I’m sure you’ll see her again.” He stepped aside to give her a clear view of her plushie, hoping to give her some peace of mind. “Besides, if you two played together so much, then I’m sure she misses you too, right?” He seemed to have cheered her up somewhat, as he saw a bittersweet smile on her face. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” 

Hau cut in after getting a good look around the room with his amiable obliviousness as per usual. “Wow, y’know when you think about it, I’m in a girl’s room!” He seemed to really take joy in that thought, making Jacky chuckle.

“Yeah, right? I didn’t expect you to pull that off for another fifteen years, Hau!” His soft laugh turned impish when his friend gave him a wicked stink eye. He couldn’t help himself with that one, and even Rotom Dex gave him a high five for that. 

As the night carried on, the three took seats and talked amongst one another until Kukui came up somewhat awkwardly with a platter of cups with Hot Cocoa in them, but somehow managing to make it look flourished. This man truly was a complete and total enigma that defied logic, Jacky thought. As he handed each cup out and took a seat on the cushion, he looked to Jacky ready to question him. “So Jacky, now that you’ve had some time to sleep and think on it, have you figured out what you want to do for the Island Challenge yet?”

This brought the boy into a moment of silence, as if all the jovial atmosphere was sucked away through every word of his inquiry. After a long moment of retrospective, he finally gave his answer. “I’ll give it a try, but I can’t really promise I’ll see it through…”

“Huh? Why not, man? The Island Challenge is an awesome adventure across the islands, right?” It was an understatement to say Hau was shocked by his answer, but Jacky wasn’t done speaking.

“That’s exactly why, Hau. Near everyone insists I do this challenge without hesitation, but I just don’t want to do this simply because everyone says I should.” He held up his wrist, showing off the Z-Ring he received from Hala. “And then there’s this… Tapu Koko gave me a Sparkling Stone and Hala turned that into a Z-Ring, and even before that, the guardian saved my life too. I feel obligated to do this for them at least, but the fact that I started my journey with their help, I don’t know. It feels like a lot for someone my age. I’ll take the challenge, but I reserve the right to stop if I need or even want to.” 

After giving his answer, and his concerns, he looked down and away from the eyes of the others. He waited for some negative response or further insistence that he should just do it all the way or even apparent disapproval for his answer. Instead, he felt a hand on his shoulder as Kukui kneeled down before him with a calm demeanor. “That’s perfectly fine, cousin. The Island Challenge is an opportunity for up and coming trainers to Bulk Up their skills and strengthen the bonds they share with people and Pokemon… But if there’s any other path you want to take as a trainer, then that’s fine too.” 

“Yeah, yeah! Like Pokemon breeding or being a professor like Kukui!” Hau added, nudging him with his elbow playfully.

“Or maybe you could do Pokemon Contests…? I mean, Alola doesn’t have any, but I’m sure you could make a career out of that…” Even Lillie was contributing to the encouragement of his decision. 

He raised his head and nodded with understanding, knowing that he truly was in the company of good friends. “Thanks everyone, I appreciate that a lot.”

Kukui pat his shoulder and sat back down on the cushion across from the sofa. “And if you’re still worried about the challenge, I know a good way to get you started right! There’s a school close by that helps new trainers learn the basics. Sounds like the perfect place to get your bearings and really mull things over. And remember this, cousin: Your ultimate choice doesn’t matter as long as you’re happy with it and don’t have any regrets. We’ll support you no matter what direction you take your life in!”

Jacky smiled as he drank from his mug, taking in the rich cocoa he was given, feeling himself warm up inside. “You know, Professor, for a guy who lets his Pokemon pummel him all the time, you’re actually pretty good emotional support.” Hau and Kukui laughed at his remark and even Lillie took humor in that statement. “Anyways, that sounds like a good idea, thanks for the suggestion, Kukui.” 

“Any time, cousin, oh yeah!!”


	5. Schoolground Rumble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky's sent of to the Pokemon School to get some practice in, maybe build up some confidence.

“Are you ready to get going?” Lillie stood by the door, awaiting Jacky’s word to go. She volunteered to lead him to the school at the edge of town, while Hau had charged out on his own. 

Jacky had collected whatever belongings he’d dropped off when he arrived, RotomDex hovering by his ear, kinda bummed he wouldn’t be the one to lead Jacky there. “Yeah, I’m about ready to go.” His pokemon all had good rest while he was there and were fully prepped for wild encounters along the way, so on top of Lillie’s application of Repels, they’d be good for the trip. 

As they left the house, Kukui locked up and went ahead of them, while the two took a bit of their own pace, running casual chat back and forth along the way. In time, Jacky had taken notice of a bit of hesitance. “Got anything on your mind?”

“O-Oh! Well, I was actually wondering about your mother,” Lillie admitted somewhat awkwardly. “She’s a trainer too, right? I mean, she brought a whole team with her to the event before and beat a lot of people.” 

“Yeah, she is a trainer. Her journey was over years and years ago, but she still catches the occasional pokemon now and then, but overall she’s pretty much buckled down for the family.” As those words left his mouth, he drew his hand across his neck in a sign of denial towards when Lillie soon made the assumption that she might have tackled the Kanto Elite Four. “My mom was born and raised in Unova, she only moved to Kanto after she had me and my sister.”

“Oh, I see, and you said you have a sister?” Quite a bit of info, drawing his father then into question in her mind, but one thing at a time. “Where’s your sister right now?” 

“She’s still in Kanto, on her own pokemon journey. Last time we contacted her, she had gotten her fourth badge, so I’d say she’s doing pretty good for herself.” He didn’t make it out to be a big deal, moreso that his sister was so far away, but in truth he missed her. He could call her, sure, but seeing her face on a screen or conversing over the phone only did so much. In that moment, that one small moment, he didn’t want to be in Alola.

“Well, that’s good. Even though she’s battling, I’m glad she’s finding success. Especially now that training has become a bit more dangerous lately.” Lillie’s hand hovered over her bag for but a moment as she considered Nebby.

“Zztzztzzt, hey, hey! None of that gloomy stuff, runts, we have a school to get to and--!” RotomDex stopped abruptly, coming to what hovering could equate to a grinding halt. Before any questioning, Jacky noticed a Tauros up ahead just down the road, grinding its hooves into the pavement. “That Tauros looks pretty nettled, Zztzzt!” 

In what seemed somewhat panicked at first, Lillie grabbed Jacky’s arm and pulled him to the side in a rush. After a moment to register their surroundings properly, and being thankful for the girl’s intervention, Jacky realized they were standing in the parking lot of a school. “We’re here, huh…?” 

“Jeez, why were you just standing there?” Lillie seemed a touch huffy about it, though understandable. “What if that Tauros had charged?” She cooled her head and looked off towards the entrance, spotting Kukui and a woman waiting for them. “Look, there they are!” 

“Yeah, cousin, you finally made it!” Kukui cheered. “This is Emily, one of the teachers here in Charge of the Trainer School! Be sure to give her your attention.”

The coal-haired woman looked him over and offered a welcome smile. “So you’re Jacky, huh? Well, it’s nice to meet you. Are you ready for your lesson here?” She instilled a touch of curiosity in him, wondering if he’d have to attend a class or something. Ho-Oh’s blessings, he certainly hoped he wouldn’t. “On these school grounds are four students you’ll have to battle. Each one has something to teach you, and in return, you can teach them a thing or two.”

“Is that all there is to it?” He was half-surprised, not expecting it to be that simple, though he did expect an actual battle to be attached to the lesson. “Well, is there any defining features about them I can identify with?”

Emily’s face brightened with amusement as she answered, “They like to call themselves the Rookie Four!” 

Kukui burst into laughter, while Jacky wasn’t nearly as amused as him or the educator. “I see...Well then, I guess I’ll go fight them then.” 

“Good luck, Jacky!” Lillie waved him off as he left to explore the school grounds and hunt down those four students, waving back to her in response. 

He had to admit, there were more students here than he expected. Perhaps the school did night classes or something. Were there more night owls in Alola than him? Either way, first stop was around the school’s sides, where he found a tan-skinned girl wearing gym clothes. In one hand was a tennis racket, in another was a pokeball. “Hi, are you that kid doing the Rookie Four challenge?” 

“I don’t know, is that really the name you settled on?” He smiled bemusingly as the girl got flustered about it, spouting at him to shut up. “Sorry, sorry! So, I have to battle you four, right? Well, let’s do it then! Cinnamon, are you ready?” He sent out Cinnamon, who responded with a melodious purr.

“Jeez, why couldn’t Joseph have come up with a better name…” The girl was mumbling to herself for a while, not quite taking in that her opponent was ready to duke it out. When she finally noticed Cinnamon in her peripheral, she hopped in place and became even more flustered. “Oh, right! Sorry about that, uuuhhh, let’s take ‘em to court, Diesel!” She tossed her pokeball straight up into the air before swatting it with her racket, launching it forward. Her pokemon popped out mid-flight, a Pikipek, but the pokeball continued its flight and cleared the school fence bordering the grounds. “Noooooo, it’s gonna take forever to find it!” 

“Uh, you want to put this on hold…?” Both Cinammon and his trainer looked to each other as Jacky offered to wait a little while. He knew some trainers liked a bit of flair in their form, but that was kinda not at all the best way to do that. 

“No, let’s just get this over with,” the poor girl sighed, sending her little birdy out to fight. “Diesel, use Peck!” 

“Cinammon use Ember, we’ll make this quick for her!” His little Litten nodded launched a small fireball head-on at the spry little birdy as it flit towards him ready to prod the fluffer as hard as it could. The fireball slammed right into its wing, taking it off course and just barely managing to graze Cin’s front left leg. Now with the poor birdy on the ground and open, all it took was one small attack and Diesel was done for.

Jacky picked the flying-type up and offered it to the trainer, handing her a Potion as well to help it recover. The tanned athlete nodded her head in thanks and cradled her Pikipek closely. “Can you… help me find my pokeball now?” 

Smiling a little, he accepted her request, on the grounds that she be more careful and think hard about her flashy entrances next time. The two of them walked out of school bounds to find the lost ball, ending up finding it being played around with by a Magnemite. The girl, Hiromi, spazzed out completely and called out to it to give it back to her, but the steel/electric-type ignored her demands. 

With Cinnamon’s help, they dealt with the metal menace quickly, Hiromi getting her pokeball back and Jacky catching a new partner. “You shouldn’t play with things that aren’t yours, you know!” The pokemon blurted out a lot of staticy noise in retaliation, with RotomDex translating. “Alright, calm down, metalhead. It wasn’t that bad this time, just be nice next time and return what’s not yours, got it? Anyways, now that I’ve caught you, you need a name…” After a moment of thought, an impish smirk spread halfway across his face. “How about Wattson?” 

With a reluctant buzz of confirmation, and a cringed groan from RotomDex, the group returned to school grounds, wandering around to find Jacky’s next opponent. “So, do you know where everyone else is, Hiromi?” 

“Well, you’ll find Joseph at the school battleground! He’s thickheaded, but he’s the strongest of us too.” She was still miffed about being called out about their group title, giving the impression she wasn’t too thrilled about the name. 

“In that case, I’ll fight him next!” He baffled the tennis player by his declaration, though she wasn’t critical of his decision after the fact. It’s not like he was required to follow a specific order with these battles, so what was the point? As they arrived at the battleground, they saw a lone figure standing in the center, posing like some JoJo character. Needless to say, neither Jacky, Hiromi, or any of their pokemon, for that matter, were impressed; Even less so once he opened his mouth to address them.

“It looks like you’ve finally arrived, challenger! I am the leader of the Rookie Four, the Rising Star, Joseph! Are you ready for your fourth and final batt--!” 

Before he could even finish speaking, there was some compulsion, perhaps out of courtesy or maybe just a striking want to be blunt to this flamboyant punk. “I only beat Hiromi, actually!” 

The series of poses he struck throughout his “dazzling” speech were thrown completely off at Jacky’s admittance. “What!? You only beat one of us? But that’s not good enough, our battle needs to have some finality! You can’t just beat one, ignore the others and then go straight for the leader!” 

“One, I’m not ignoring the others, I just choose to battle you first. Second, if you wanted to do this in a specific order, you should’ve brought that up with your teacher.” Cinnamon stepped forward, ready to roll with a firm yowl. 

“I reject your challenge then!” The boy crossed his arms and turned up his nose, posturing a bit for added effect. The effect in question wasn’t at all what he’d hoped for though. Jacky’s eye twitched with annoyance, and just behind him he could hear Hiromi give a heaving sigh flooding with exasperation.

“Joseph, if you don’t battle him and stop being so stuck-up, I’m going to tell Ms. Emily about this!” Her threat was basic enough, but it did have some semblance of merit. The spoiled midget’s pose loosened up as his face tensed up. “Oh yeah…? W-Well, go ahead and tell her, I’m not scared.” He was definitely scared.

“Fine, then I guess I’ll go now. I bet she’ll be pretty upset that you’re being so rude to the school’s guest. I wonder what she’ll punish you with.” She turned around and Jacky had to hold in a smile as he caught a small grin on her face, hidden from Joseph. “What do you think she might do?”

Playing along, Jacky made a pose of his own, holding his chin in feigned thought. “Well, judging from my impression of her, I’d say Ms. Emily might just put him in detention. Might even stack some extra assignments to make up for it…” 

“She might even call in the school’s prince to punish him!” Jacky maintained as neutral an expression as possible to ensure his lack of knowing just who that was wouldn’t be telegraphed. “Do you want that, oh fearless leader?”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Joseph tossed a pokeball out and a Grimer emerged, though it was oily and shining in a myriad of colors, unlike the dark purple pile of slime that the ones he was familiar with. “I’ve decided that he is ready to step up to the Rookie Four’s leader! So bring your best fight, challenger! You’re up against the Rising Star, Joseph, and his unnatural beauty, Toxica!” 

Ah, so he’s that kind of person after all. Jacky exchanged a knowing grin with Hiromi while the blustering child was still postulating. “Alright, Joseph, let’s do this thing! Cinn, use Ember on that Grimer!” The two leaped into battle, Toxica getting burned pretty bad and taking a bit of extra damage after striking back. The whole exchange, much like the fight with Hiromi, didn’t last long, and the result was ultimately the same.

As Toxica seemed to almost deflate at her loss, Joseph fell to his knees and devolved into a frustrated ball of immature pride and growls. “Well, see ya later, Joseph!” He and Hiromi headed out towards the school building, with the athlete leading the charge inside. Along the way, one uninvolved student called him over and lent him a Quick Claw, which he gladly handed off to Cinnamon. What a helpful NPC~!

The next two opponents were much to speak of, a young boy with a Metapod went down incredibly easy thanks to basic type advantage, and then an even younger girl with a Bonsly, which actually had him switch Cinnamon out for once, using Nirvana instead. After taking care of everyone, the boy and little girl gathered around him and Hiromi. “Wow, wow, big bro! You did that so easily!” 

“Big bro? Uh, just Jacky is fine…” As he interacted with the two smaller children, he heard a jingle signalling an announcement over the PA. His name was called to the second floor, requesting his immediate presence. 

“Oooh, looks like someone’s in trouble!” Hiromi was only teasing, and her light jubilance encouraged the younger kids to join in. But that fun was taken a bit too seriously when Lillie walked inside and overheard them. 

“Jacky, did you do something bad?” She seemed absolutely flummoxed by the idea that he’d gotten in trouble to be called over the speakers. 

“What, no, these guys are just joking!” He gave both the younger kids light noogies before excusing himself and heading upstairs, much to the unconvinced huffiness of Lillie. He gave Cinnamon, Nirvana, and Wattson some Potions as he caught sight of the teacher awaiting him at the top. 

“You’ve beaten all four of them, have you?” She seemed pleased with the results as he confirmed such, patting Cinn and Nirvana for their hard work. “Well then, to finish off your assignment, dear student, I’d like to challenge you to one more battle! Consider this the exam!” She seemed somewhat excited for the fight, despite being an educator. Eh, who says teachers can’t have fun with their work?

“You’re on, teach! Cinnamon, you’re up!” As per the norm, his Litten stepped as the dark-haired instructor sent out a Magnemite, the poor thing getting a bit nervous the moment its eye came upon Jacky’s little fire-type. “Your opening act looks pretty worried, Ms. Emily” 

“Don’t worry, Sasha, just give it your all!” She popped encouragement upon encouragement to the poor thing, having to dish out compliments to it before it was confident enough to fight. Seemed this thing had an ego problem. “Now, use Thundershock!” The metal ball’s bolt sparked fiercely before unleashing a lightning bolt, having to take a fireball to the face in return, blinding it.

In its moment of vulnerability, it failed to respond to its trainer’s orders in time before the spry cat unleashed a body-numbing Lick on it, finishing it off immediately. The next opponent set Cinnamon off something fierce, a Meowth with a dark coat of fur and a very condescending gaze. Purr-chase was one thing, but this Meowth even ticked Jacky off. “Ember, Cinn!” 

The two cats launched each other into it right away, Cinnamon catching it with a hot Ember, but taking the Meowth’s fangs across his back and then being tossed back at Jacky’s feet. His Litten trembled as he tried to stand back on his paws, barely managing to hold himself up. Before he could risk another assault, Wattson hovered between the two felines just in time to take another Bite for Cinnamon. “That’s it, Wattson!” 

Cinnamon felt a hand on his head, ruffling his fur and scratching a little here and there. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, buddy. I don’t want you to hurt yourself over this. Wattson, zap that smarmy runt!” 

Wattson was two steps ahead of him, already charging electricity as Emily’s Meowth moved in for another attack before the metal punk pointed its bolt directly at the cat and shot off its strike, nailing it in the chest and throwing it back. Emily panicked and dropped to her knees to check on her pokemon, giving Jacky and Wattson a bit of concern by proxy. “Oh thank goodness, he’s fine!” She returned her pokemon to their balls and congratulated the team on their battle. “I’ve gotta say, that was quite something, and so quick too. Maybe you should consider being a teacher?” 

After the two’s adrenaline settled, they finally realized, oh yeah, they were fighting in-doors! There were singe marks from both the fire and lightning that was discharged during the scuffle, much to the dismay of Emily and to the delight of Kukui as he made his presence known. “Oh yeah, what a fierce finish, cousin! That battle had me going hotter than a Flame Charge!” 

“Glad you liked it, Professor,” the boy remarked dryly with a snarky shift of the eyes. “Well, I succeeded, so I guess I’m all set to go?” 

“Yes, I’d certainly like to think that!” Emily picked up a bag that was suspiciously not mentioned before because a certain someone didn’t bother to write its presence earlier. She handed the bag to him, revealing several Great Balls, of which he was pretty happy with. “That battle really was a good one, Jacky. I expect great things from you in the future!”

“Indeed, though the battle itself was short and tactically simple, the passion was there, bright and vibrant all throughout!” A newcomer arrived up the stairs, this one taller than Jacky by half a foot, with dark skin and well-groomed pink hair. “And the care you and your Magnemite demonstrated for your Litten was touching as well.”

“Oh, thanks I guess.... And you are?” Down from the base of the stairs, he saw the Rookie Four all gathered up and watching the pinkette with starry eyes, whispering things about the “Prince of the School” and the “Trial Captain”. He couldn’t help a smirk from playing on his lips at their admiring gazes, even Joseph’s. “Never mind, I think I have an idea.”

The young man chuckled at his responses and that of his admirers. “Yes, as they say, I am the Trial Captain of MeleMele Island and the one reputed as the Prince of the School, however, I prefer to go by a real name. I am Ilima and I thoroughly enjoyed witnessing your battle with Ms. Emily.” He offered a hand to shake, of which the dark-haired trainer obliged. If nothing else, this Ilima had some pretty words. 

“Thanks for the congrats, Ilima, it’s good to meet the fabled Prince. From what I’ve seen, you’ve got a lot of admirers in this school!” He didn’t mind the famous as long as they were polite and not show-offs like Joseph on the first floor.

Ilima smiled knowingly and nodded in confirmation. “Yes, it would seem that way. Oh, and I so appreciate their adoration. One even took a liking to my love of combat and tactics as well! Those eyes under those shades were quite adorable when we talked.” Sounds like something a little bit different than what the Rookie Four offered, but that wasn’t Jacky’s business, nor was he really too interested in making it his business. “Regardless, I ultimately came to meet the new Trail-goer and get a good look at him. I must say, I greatly anticipate the future for both you and your team. Well, I must get going!”

“Yeah, see you around, Ilima!” Jacky waved to him as he left the school, he and his team making their leave of the building soon after. Emily and the Rookie Four gathered together outside in the parking lot to see him off.

“Bye, big brother!” the youngest boy cheered, hopping in place. His Metapod hopped in place like it was moving for the send-off too. 

“Come play again!” The little girl seemed a bit sad that he was leaving, holding her Bonsly in her arms like a teddy bear. The cute stone tree pokemon was asleep in her arms, snoozing the night away.

“Next time you come around here, the Rookie Four will be waiting, and this time we’ll do it right, with a nice buildup!” Joseph was still striking ridiculous poses as he challenged Jacky to come back again and fight them all. Toxica was probably inside her ball, since there was no sign of her anywhere. At least he hoped she was.

Hiromi bopped him on the head with her racket to calm him down. “Thanks for the help earlier. It’ll be good to have you around here again some time. The next time you see me, Diesel will be a Toucannon and I’ll perfect my entrance!” Though she chastises Joseph for his attitude and priorities, she seemed to really value flashiness almost as much as he did. Diesel himself gave a resounding chirp in agreement.

“You’re always welcome at the school any time, Jacky.” She smiled calmly at him, thankfully not holding a grudge against him for the scare she got at the end of their fight. “Alright, everyone, let’s head back inside now.” The teacher ushered the students away, allowing Kukui some room for himself.

“So, how does it feel to win five times in a row, cousin? Makes you feel real good to have that Stone Edge, doesn’t it?” He laughed at his own joke, making Jacky roll his eyes in response. 

“Yeah, I can’t lie, I do feel a bit better about this whole trial thing now. But I still have some concerns, especially after Cinnamon almost pushed himself,” he conceded, petting his Litten and giving him a nice chin scratch.

“Well don’t you worry, cousin. You can always just go at your own pace, not to mention you can always train like there’s no tomorrow if you’re feeling real intimidated!” He pumped a fist into the air to emphasize the unshaken control that the new trainer had over his own journey. “You’ve got plenty of folks rooting for you in this, Jacky. It doesn’t matter if you battle ‘til you’re sore, train ‘til you’re aching or take a break every now and then. It’s all your call, just like I told you before, so don’t you go stressing it.” 

“Thanks again for the words of Foresight, professor.” Giving Kukui’s little vocal quirk a bit of acknowledgement in return gave the shirtless researcher a good, hearty laugh. Inside, though, Jacky was kinda upset with himself for how effortless that quip was. Even RotomDex was giving him funny “What did you eat” looks.

“Well, I gotta scoot along! I’ll leave the rest to you for now, cousin!” With a kind farewell, the professor took off back towards home, leaving Jacky and Lillie to each other’s company once more.

“Congratulations on pulling off that assignment. You think you got an A or something?” She seemed to be joking, though it seemed it could’ve gone either way from her. “So, should we go see the rest of the town?” 

RotomDex immediately shot between the two and tapped his screen himself, pulling up the map. “Zttzttztt, Now hold on there, snowflake! I’m supposed to be the guide here, not you! If I ain’t, what’s even the point of possessing this Dex!” 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, Rotom, I didn’t mean to take this away from you!” Lillie was immediately thrown into a moral-driven panick over RotomDex’s declaration, overriding the ghostly Dex’s outrage. “Please, lead the way!” 

Jacky narrowed his eyes at Rotom disapprovingly, but gestured for him to lead the way as well. “Zttzttztt, Sorry, snowball, I just got a little huffy. You two just talk amongst yourselves and try not to fall behind!” The hovering device started the lead, the two following after it.

“Y-Y’know, it’s pretty amazing to be able to win so many battles like that consecutively. You just started not that long ago and yet you’re so good at this already. You’re like an unstoppable Lucario…” He had to admit, that was pretty damn flattering, being compared to something like that. 

“Nah, I don’t think I’m anything like a Lucario, though. Remember, I needed convincing to do this in the first place…” He still felt a bit unsure about things even now, though it was better than before. Still, he didn’t think he deserved the comparison he got from her.

“Well, you’re a pretty big hardass, so let’s just call you a Geodude and leave it at that, Zttztt!” It was supposed to be a playful jab, but Lillie didn’t take that any better than Rotom’s outburst a minute ago. 

“But he’s done so much in so short a time! He beat all those trainers, he made so many new friends, and he even saved Nebby from those Spearow!” She’d thrown a mini tantrum at that, but quieted down just as fast. “Nebby’s so important to me, but I couldn’t move… I couldn’t save him myself.”

“So you were scared, big whoop, Ztt!” It was pretty blunt and crude, but it was ultimately the same thing Jacky had thought. “Just because you were, doesn’t mean you get to beat yourself up about it!” 

“Rudely put, but he does have a point, Lil--!” The convo was cut short as the three were given the distinct reminder that there was a Tauros blocking their path to the rest of the area. However, it wasn’t alone this time, and it was much more tamed this time around. Standing between Hala and Hau, it gazed at the trio closely.

“Jacky, Lillie, you’re finally out of school, yeah? You ready for that summer vacation?” Hau was just as chipper as ever, despite being next to a previously raging Tauros. 

“I apologize if Tauros here was an inconvenience at all, children. He’s since settle, as you can see.” Looking to the three, Hala waved them over to come closer. All three were reluctant to close in on it, but after a while, Jacky stepped forward. Since Hala, and more importantly Hau were standing so close to it, making noise without a fear, then it must be safe, right?

He moved in slowly to ensure that he didn’t somehow set the Tauros off again and get himself impaled on those horns. When he was close enough, he looked at the face of the prior aggressor for a moment before electing to try and pet him. Before he could fully move his hand in, Tauros simply pressed his own head into his hand. It felt immensely relieving to be given such an unmistakable confirmation that everything was all under control.

Lillie, on the other hand, had hung back and simply watched cautiously, keeping just outside of Tauros direct charge path. He didn’t blame her, how could he after her admittance prior. Hala laughed in his usual boisterous volume. “Well, it seems Tauros has taken quite a liking to you. How curious though, wouldn’t you say?” 

The Kahuna placed a hand upon Tauros’s back and instructed it to come with him, leading it away after some brief goodbyes. Hau marched right over to Jacky, that wide grin on his face as he impressed upon Jacky’s move. “I didn’t think you’d actually pet it!”

“To be honest, I was kinda shaky about it, being so close to what was a wild rager just a half hour ago.” Hau couldn’t help but take humor in that nugget of knowledge. 

“So, what are you guys gonna do now that gloomy here is out of school?” 

“We were going to show Jacky around Hau’oli.” Lillie had since rejoined Jacky now that Tauros was gone, but she remained close to him despite that. RotomDex giving her the stinkeye didn’t exactly help.

“Oh, that’s cool. Hey, you mind if I tag along? I know all the best places to eat when you’re running low on fuel!” There was a fire in his eyes, a deep motivation then and there to show him something. All the best restaurants, huh? 

“Sure, I don’t mind. The more the merrier, right?” He’d better make sure to get the whole restaurant thing out of Hau’s system, or he might never stop hearing about it. Better to nip this one in the bud, not that it would be some grand quest or long errand. 

“Alright, to Hau’oli!” Hau stampeded his way away from Lillie and Jacky harder than the Tauros, leaving the two alone again. So much for “together”.


	6. Tales of Another Generation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky spends some time with his friends in Hau'oli and shares with them a little bit about his family.

He goes and spouts off about going into Hau’oli together and then rampages into the city so absent-mindedly. To Jacky, albeit jokingly, it seems that Hau is a machine that’s missing a few cogs, yet somehow runs on some strange overdrive setting regardless. This was the thought he couldn’t help mulling over as he and Lillie followed Hau into Hau’oli. As they continued onwards, Rotomdex seemed to catch something in his eye and flew straight in the way of the two humans. “Woah, woah, woah-zzztzzt! Look, kid, look!” 

The two kids directed their attentions to the raving techno-ghost as Rotomdex lead them towards a wall that lost a chunk off the top. With just enough gone to peer over without difficult, Jacky and Lillie spotted a Pikachu sleeping just beyond in the soft grass. This was a golden opportunity right here and both he and Rotomdex knew it. “Turn on the camera, Rotomdex!” 

The mechanical ghost didn’t even need the command, already halfway through turning on his camera. The boy grabbed his dex out of the air zoomed the camera for a close-up shot of the electric mouse’s sleeping face. He took shot after shot of that electric pika pal, especially as two Growlithes emerged and started playing with it. “What a goldmine, Zztzzt!!”

It was a good five minutes of snapshots and then sifting through said shots and deleting the lower quality ones before they continued on their way. As a matter of fact, Lillie had mentioned going on ahead midway. A smart move, considering that Jacky’s next stop was the street-side beaches where he was again able to get into the mood for Pokemon snaps. Eventually, though, he realized he was holding everyone up too much and rushed off to find Lillie. 

He found her at the apparel store, window shopping and eyeing some sun dresses. She seemed to be lost in thought as she eyed them closely. There it was again, that something that drew him to her, stanced in the light of the moon for the world to see. Without really thinking about it, he lifted up Rotom and took a picture of her, the snap sound drawing her attention. “Oh, sorry! I probably should’ve asked first… I can delete the picture if you--!”

“No, it’s fine, you just surprised me is all!” Lillie glanced at the clothes again before opening up her inquiry to the boy. “Jacky, do you pick your own clothes?”

“Huh? Oh, well yeah, I pick my own clothes all the time.” 

“Yeah, that only makes sense, that you choose the clothes you wear. Most people do, don’t they?” She breathed a sigh of melancholy before putting up a smile to ease Jacky. “Sorry, we should find Hau, shouldn’t we?” She made to leave and find their friend, but Jacky stayed behind for a moment. 

“She’s like a ghost…” 

“Zztzzt, What was that, kid?” 

“I was just saying we should get going.” Jacky left the clothing shop behind, hurrying to catch up with Lillie. As he cross the street, he caught sight of some shaking grass beyond a fence gate and approached to open it and check the area. Poking its head out was a small weaselly Pokemon with sharp teeth. “A new one... “ 

The mon growled and rushed out at him, Cinnamon popping out of his ball to blast it back with a well-placed Ember. “Spunky little one, don’t you think, Cinn?” As Cinnamon yowled what he could only assume was an agreement, the Pokemon charged and tackled him, ready to further its assault before the little Litten spewed another Ember, knocking it on its backside, allowing Jacky to throw a ball at it and catch it. “How about Fionn?”

He stared at the ball with a faint smirk and nodded at the name. RotomDex emerged from hiding behind him. “Zttztt, that came outta nowhere! What a feisty rodent she was, don’t ya think?” He was a bit surprised, having assumed it was a boy, but didn’t dwell on it much. Her name worked either way, or rather it didn’t seem particularly male or female in nature. 

“Yeah, she’s a feisty one, but let’s just go and meet up with Hau and Lillie already.” He continued on his way, ignoring any other distractions for the sake of getting to the actual hangout. Soon, he caught Hau in his sights, jumping up and waving his arms around like a nutter to signal him over, Lillie staring very hard at the ground in embarrassment to her their friend’s shameless energy. 

“Yo, we’re over here, buddy! Over here!” He laughed as Jacky closed the distance with one pinky in his ear as if even at a distance Hau was blowing his ears out. “This is the place!” He threw his arms out into their full width to present the establishment before them. A bakery...specializing in Malasadas, a kind of fried donut special to Alola… 

“Hau, your vote to decide restaurants is being revoked…” Jacky was only half-joking, hoping to god that this place wasn’t his only eatery on the mind. Maybe this place is what gives him his boundless energy… 

“Aw come on, don’t be like that! Come on, you’ll change your tune once you’ve had a couple!” He led them into the establishment, Lillie and Jacky grabbing a table while Hau orders some Malasadas and three beverages, according to the two’s specific requests. As they awaited their order, the chitter of the other patrons filled the silence in their wait.

“Team Skull’s at it again!”

“Are you kidding me? When are they ever going to learn?”

Team Skull? The way they talked about them, it sounded like they were no good, and Jacky wasn’t a stranger to baddies with “Team” at the start of their group titles. In his time living in Kanto, Team Rocket was a topic of small talk and such, and he was told stories about Team Plasma by his mother. Both were horrid groups of thieves and abusers that would lie, cheat, and steal in order to come out on top. Despite the fact that Team Rocket was taken apart by a ten year-old and Team Plasma was dismantled by a fourteen year-old, they were still huge threats that could’ve torn apart the regions if they got their way. 

But from the sounds of it as well, it seemed as though this Team Skull was either already being taken apart… or they were less a match of Team Rocket and Plasma and more akin to a--

“All those boasts and raps aren’t fooling anyone!”

\--A street gang… Welp, at least there wasn’t much to worry about. That, at least, helped alleviate some concerns Jacky might have had. As Hau returned with their orders, Jacky nudged him to make his inquiry. “Hey, who are these Team Skull bums?”

“Oh those guys? They’re a bunch of jokers going around trying to steal stuff and Pokemon from other people, but they’re nothing but big talk, man! You don’t gotta worry about them!” Hau set the tray with their orders down on the table, along with their drinks. He seemed pretty confident about that statement, which helped to prove his theory.

“I overheard some people talking about them and had the same idea. From the sounds of it, they’re no Team Plasma…” He got some looks from his two friends, a touch of confusion and maybe some curiosity. “You guys don’t know who that is, do you?”

“I believe I might have heard of them in passing once before, but it was nothing beyond their name,” Lillie admitted as she took a sip of her lemonade. “Do you know more about them?”

“Yeah, I know a few things, but it’s all stuff my mom told me. She’s the one that had to put up with them, really.” He went on to tell them all about how Team Plasma touted themselves as activists for the freedom of all pokemon, that they were being abused and held prisoner by every trainer that held a pokeball. “Some people actually took their words with some thought and I hear that some trainers even let their pokemon go free after hearing a few of their rallies.”

“Dude…” Hau looked genuinely bummed out to hear something like that. “Those trainers must’ve felt sad to split up from their pokemon. I couldn’t imagine splitting from Robin or Misa or any other pokemon I might meet next!” 

He nodded in response, feeling the same with Cinnamon and Nirvana and Deagle and Wattson. Hell, the newbie Fionn was a fresh catch and even she wasn’t a likely release unless she wanted to leave. “It gets worse… While I can’t speak for all of them, a lot of Team Plasma worked directly under their leader Ghetsis. He pulled a lot of shady stuff that actually had members of the group abusing pokemon, kidnapping them from trainers and even kids, and committing crimes and felonies that went completely against the image they put up.” He couldn’t even imagine how awful that must’ve been, putting up with thugs and thieves like them.

“That’s terrible!” Lillie practically slammed the butt of her drink against the table in her reaction to such a horrid thought. As the explanation continued, her hand instinctively reached for her bag, thinking of Nebby all the while. He went on to talk about this and that, the things they stole and such, and then came the “king” of Team Plasma. 

The “king” was a boy who called himself “N” that believed fervently in the lies that Ghetsis dispensed and was always the first to defend them when they were scrutinized. Even as proof came around that they weren’t as virtuous as Ghetsis said they were, he still wanted to believe that the accusations were false, even as they rose a giant castle out of the Pokemon League hall. 

“A CASTLE!?” Hau and Lillie were unified in their disbelief, understandably baffled by the turn Jacky’s tale had taken. He didn’t fault either of them for their reactions one bit, considering even he had trouble believing this part of the story. 

“It was only after N’s partner, the legendary dragon of truth, Reshiram, was defeated by its counterpart, the dragon of ideals, Zekrom, that Team Plasma was fully cornered. And that’s when Ghetsis showed his true colors as a shameless, scum-sucking manipulator!” He wasn’t holding back on this part of the story, nor did he ever. Even as a kid when his mom told him this story, Jacky always became so forward in his passionate lack of fondness for the irredeemable leader. 

Lillie and Hau became absorbed in the story and gave their full focus, even to the point that they neglected their orders and left them on the table untouched, both unaware of the mischievous Pokemon they had in their company leaving their respective holding spaces to sneak the food away from them. The story came to a close as Jacky retold the epic battle that ensued between Ghetsis and Zekrom, the black dragon of Unova enduring persistent pain to wipe out his every pokemon, bringing Ghetsis to his knees, allowing the gym leaders of the region to come in and take in Team Plasma, putting their terror to an end.

“Everything cooled off after that and the people of Unova moved on with time… well, they did until it was reported Ghetsis evaded capture and rebuilt Team Plasma later on.” He could tell that neither Lillie nor Hau appreciated that kind of turnout, especially with how well things were starting to go. “But it’s fine, because Zekrom and his partner came back and took them down again, this time for good.”

“Oh thank goodness…” Lillie breathed a sigh of relief at the awaited happy ending to the story, before she realized something about what he’d said. “Wait, you mentioned Zekrom had a partner too. Who was it?” 

“Oh, did I forget to mention that? Well, his partner was--!” 

“What did you say?” One of the patrons discussing Team Skull from earlier had unintentionally raised her voice. “The docks? Are you sure you saw them down there?”

“Sure I’m sure! I couldn’t mistake that weird dance shuffle they always do for the life of me!” 

Jacky turned back to the two of them and smiled mischievously, picking up his malasada, reminding the two of their food and only then realizing that Nebby and Misa had stolen their donuts. While the two were stewing in their outrage, the boy realized he might get to see just what these Team Skull goons are made of pretty soon. “Guys, I’m gonna go to the docks, see if I can find Team Skull! Measure them up for myself, you know?” 

Lillie looked up from her empty plate with concern all over her face. “Be careful, Jacky! Try not to get yourself into trouble, alright?”

“I’ll cover the bill, buddy! You go kick their bony butts!” Hau’s voice was laced with a bit of frustration, a rare thing indeed, but it was still cheery as usual for the most part.

Jacky nodded and scarfed down his fried treat, his own pokemon having not attempted to take it from him. Of course they… Then he saw Fionn circling his chair and staring at the remaining portion of the malasada. Was it planning to steal his food too? Guess it just didn’t find a prime opportunity like Misa and Nebby did. He sighed solemnly and tossed the rest of his treat to Fionn. “Here you go, you little gremlin!”

After Fionn gnashed the rest of the donut away, he returned her to her pokeball and went on his way, vacating the restaurant and rushing off to the docks. Making a sprint for the docs, with Rotom leading the way, finding some amusement to the idea of seeing Jacky pummel a couple of street punks. As they arrived at the docks, they found no signs of any particularly notable people until they spotted a familiar face. 

The pink-haired Prince of the Pokemon School himself was out on the docks, looking out over the ocean, enjoying the view. “Hey, Princey, what’re you doing out here?” Jacky approached the regal graduate of the school, looking out over the sea himself and letting the ocean breeze wash over him, a pleasant and refreshing scent filling him. 

“Ah, if it isn’t the Reaper of the School! I was simply going for a walk and enjoying some time to myself, to be frank.” He smiled serenely as if nothing he’d said were strange, but Jacky was internally processing that weird nickname he somehow got without knowing. Who gave it to him? Was it that little brat, Joseph, that gave him that name? If that was the case, the “leader” of the Rookie Four can expect a repeat of their battle as many times as he wanted later on. “And you?”

Jacky broke out of his revenge planning to address his question as RotomDex noticed someone approaching them. “Well, I heard some rumors and figured I’d chase them down, see what all the fuss is about.”

“Oh? And who is it you’re looking for exactly? Perhaps I could be of some assistance!” As they conversed the two approaching them neared, throwing out gang signs and rhythmically dancing closer and closer.

“Hey, listen up, listen good, yo!” 

“We’re here to take your Pokemon and we won’t take no nos!” 

The two blue-haired punks posed, likely to assert some sort of dominance over Jacky and Ilima. Dressed all in black with skull designs that are very clearly insignia-like in appearance. There was no doubting it one bit, these two doofuses were members of Team Skull… and they were even more unimpressive than expected. He turned away from them and continued conversing with Ilima. “I think I found what I was looking for, actually. Thank you for offering though, Ilima!” 

“Oh no, no, it was nothing worth thanking, really! I wanted to help, were the offer still viable!” The two continued to exchange polite words, throwing the two thugs off as their rhymes were completely ineffective. 

“Hey, hey, whatcha doing with those cold shoulders!” 

“You’d better watch your pockets and your poke-holders!” 

The two posed again and joined their next rhyme together, as if being in-sync would somehow make them seem bigger and scarier. “Disrespect Team Skull and not even your graves will be colder!”

Jacky sighed and pulled out a pokeball, keeping his eye on Ilima for one final question. “Two v. Two, dear Prince?” 

Ilima nodded with small smile hiding much mirth as he pulled out his own ball to join the battle. “Of course! These two won’t know what hit them when they find out what a real battle is like!” 

With that, the two threw out their pokemon, Jacky going for Deagle and Ilima using a Yungoos, while the two punks tossed out a Drowzee and a Zubat. Taking the Zubat on, Jacky pummeled it with a few shots of Peck, while the Prince took down his opponent just as quickly. The Zubat and Drowzee lay scorched and pummeled respectively at their owners’ feet. “Well, what were you saying earlier? Something about taking our Pokemon and putting us in the ground?” 

“Y-You fools will get what you earned!” One scared punk scooped up his Drowzee and took off like mad.

“Team Skull will pay back this pain and spurn!!” The other followed suit, rushing off away from the two.

“My goodness, it seems they plan on making a return visit! How frightening!” Hearing Ilima be sarcastic almost flew over his head, but simply the fact that he’d initially ignored the grunts along with him gave enough proof that he was a firm practitioner of passive-aggressiveness and snark. “I’d say that was quite the experience, knocking them around? Though it’s rather disappointing how easy it was to repel them.”

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not complaining or anything, but they could’ve at least put up a better fight than that! I mean the author hardly put any work into writing the fight!” He pet Deagle gently as Ilima decided to simply ignore that flagrant violation of the fourth wall. 

“Then perhaps we can satisfy each other’s craving where those two were sorely lacking?” Phrasing: If there was one thing he did not excel at, it was phrasing. “How would you like to take me on in a battle, dear Reaper? We’ll even make it a tale to tell to the students later on, “The Prince and the Reaper Collide”!”

“Well, it would definitely be more worth my time than those two turned out to be... “ He smirked at the dramatization of their coming battle, picturing himself in a ragged cloak with blood red color contacts and a scythe in one hand, a pokeball in the other and Ilima in a regal looking clothes, his hand resting on the pommel of a falchion nested within its scabbard and a pokeball of his own in the other hand. Quite the image for the two of them and one he imagined would spread hard with the right telling. “Sure, Ilima, let’s have a battle!” 

“Excellent!” He seemed utterly giddy to have his challenge accepted, his Yungoos even seeming to mirror his excitement, albeit at a much more lax level. After cooling off from his little fanboy freakout, he urged his Yungoos forward. “Then let us begin, Jacky!” 

Jacky grinned as he paralleled the Prince’s move, ushering Deagle forth to meet his challenge, the small bird being more than happy to peck some more heads. “Let’s do this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter reveals, obviously, that Mary is the protagonist of Pokemon White, or at least my version of her. I actually have plans to do a White Nuzlocke story in the future once this story is finished, starring her. A nice little prequel for y'all, and one that'll probably be way harder to pull off than this. Here's hopin'~


	7. The First Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a brawl with the battle-fanboy Ilima, and a couple interruptions afterwards, Jacky is on his way to his very first Island Trial. How will this play out?

Battered crazy, Ilima’s Yungoos struggled to stay conscious, standing shakily for a few seconds before collapsing and losing to Deagle. “Excellent, making quick work of my Yungoos. However, let’s see how you handle my Smeargle!” Illima excitedly sent out a Smeargle with a flourish, ready for the second half of the battle.

“A Smeargle, huh? Pretty good Pokemon, Ilima, but we’ll see how good it really is.” Deagle stepped back for a moment as Wattson was sent in to contribute, being bombarded with two Water Guns before he can shoot out a Magnet Bomb, shooting a projectile to draw Smeargle in before exploding. “Looks like he’s too slow... “ Jacky had to consider his next move thoroughly, sending Wattson back to his ball. 

“You’ve got good instincts to return your Pokemon to their ball, if you’re considering a cross Pokemon strategy.” Ilima watched him with that lingering glimmer in his eyes, that spark that really showed his love for battling. 

“Well, if I didn’t you’d take advantage of my thoughts to attack while I’m distracted, wouldn’t you?” 

“Perhaps, but you must admit that’s quite a pessimistic prediction to make.”

The corner of Jacky’s mouth turned up into his dark little smirk. “Am I wrong, Mr. You’ve-Got-Good-Instincts?” As he conversed with Ilima, he considered his current set-up and their abilities, thinking of what he can use, coming to a solution. “Anyways, it doesn’t matter, because I know what I need to do now!” He sent out Nirvana next, who got nailed by two Water Guns before letting out a big Yawn that Smeargle couldn’t help but mirror back. Being a Water-type was pretty beneficial here as Smeargle soon fell asleep, leaving it open to a Confusion attack, finishing the fight. “How’s that?”

“Wonderful! That was quite a fight, and your strategy was well-conceived!” Ilima returned his unconscious Smeargle to his pokeball and stood with his hand on his hip, nodding to himself. “Yes, I think you’ll do very good soon! Jacky, I believe the time has come for your first island trial, thus I’ll be waiting for you at the trial site. You’re little ghostly companion should know the way.” 

“Well, if you think so… See you there, Prince!” Jacky waved him off and got everyone back in their balls, preparing to head to the trial site himself when he saw Lilllie and Hau come out of hiding. It seems they arrived sometime during the fights and hid away. “Hey guys, glad you could make it. How much did you see back there?”

“We came around the time you sent those numbskulls packing! That battle was great, you’re already doing so good, man!” Hau slapped Jacky on the back, releasing a soft ‘oof’ from the victor. “And you were worried about all this? You just beat one of the trial captains in battle!!”

“I did, didn’t I?” He chuckled, really considering what he just did. “I guess I should hope these island trials are as simple as that! Speaking of, I should probably get around to doing my first. What are you guys going to do?” 

“Well, the Malasada shop’s all closed because, uhhhhhh….” He averted his gaze for a moment, making him highly suspect. “Reasons… So I’m going to go get some lunch, but I’ll make sure to catch up, buddy!” 

Lillie’s eyes seemed to linger on him for a moment before going to Jacky. “I should probably get some lunch myself. Good luck in your trial, Jacky.” 

“Thanks, I’ll do my best. Good luck finding something that isn’t fried and sugary, Hau.” Jacky walked off laughing, heading for his very first trial. On his way to the trial site, he passed by a cemetery where a number of trainers were mourning the lost. A grim reminder of what could be if he’s not careful, though it was offset by the battles some trainers were having with each other in the middle of the graveyard.

Jacky immediately ducks and dodges challenges from the trainers in the site to avoid a battle amongst the resting grounds of the dead. Sprinting to leave the cemetery, he feels a tug on his arm and gets thrown into a panic, turning around expecting a trainer, but seeing nothing at first. With no one in sight, he looks down to his hand to find a Drifloon holding it, looking up at him with its ruby eyes. “Oh hey, little guy, what’s wrong?” 

With the Drifloon’s other string-like arm, it points to the cemetery before pantomiming displeasure in all the noise and activity going on around it. “Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. No cemetery should be bustling with trainers wanting to battle.” Some seemed to want to battle to honor their dead partners, but that was a pretty selfish method of respect to the deceased in his eyes. “Unfortunately I don’t think I can clear them all out, and even if I do, they might just come back some other time.” 

The Drifloon seemed upset by this, but as it spots something, its thread arms reached to his pack and pulled out a pokeball, holding it up to the trainer. “Oh that could work, though I don’t suppose you want to fight.” It shook its head, rejecting combat since that would pretty much be a reminder of the bustle and commotion of what drove it away from the cemetery in the first place. “That’s fine, I can always box you.” With that and a tap of the ball, the Drifloon was sucked into the ball and encased inside. “How’s that sound, Kirby?” 

He continued on towards the trial site, humming to himself as he puts Kirby’s ball into his pocket when he feels a tug on his pant leg and looks down at a Delibird chirping frantically at him to get a move on. “What the…? What’s wrong?” The Delibird chirps at him some more and runs off in a panic, prompting Jacky to go follow it. “Well, guess I’m doing this now…” 

As he was dragged along, he heard some familiar voices he didn’t expect to hear so soon. He was cutting into the middle of something it seemed, but it seemed that whatever was happening hadn't lasted for very long so far. 

“--Team Skull’s your adversaries!” Of course it was them, eager to get their butts handed to them so soon. “Taking berries off your hands is just the start of our plans!” 

“Let’s get Figy with it, bro. Let’s make the old man watch while we Nanab these berries!” 

Jacky called on Cinnamon and made his presence known to the two punks and the old man they were mugging for berries. Or at least, they were trying to, but it didn’t seem like the old man was very intimidated, let alone impressed by them. “So you flubbed it against me and Ilima and now you’re trying to find weaker opponents?”

“Wha-- Hey, it’s that loser kid!”

“Step off our we’ll pop your lid, you dig?” 

The old man stepped forward, ignoring the Grunts and smiled at Jacky. “Don’t you mind these two, young man. All Team Skull really does is talk big and act small.” Ignoring the protests and provoked ramblings of the two delinquents, he continued striking conversation. These Team Skull guys really were pathetic if even an old man was disregarding them. “I see you have a trial charm. Might I guess you’re heading for Ilima’s trial?” 

“You got it in one, sir. I was just on my way there when your little friend here asked for some help.” Jacky gestured to the little Delibird that led the way here before addressing Team Skull again. “So do I need to whup you again or are you going to get lost?” 

“You’re gonna regret--!” Before he could finish his response, Cinnamon rushed him and pounded his Drowzee down, shoving it into its trainer. 

“What was that? Sorry, Cinnamon makes a lot of noise, so you’re gonna have to speak a little louder,” Jacky asked, hiding an amused smirk from the two thugs. 

“You jerk! At least give us a chance to-- AAAAHHHH!!” Cinnamon set the other Grunt’s shoe on fire, making him run off towards the ocean, his buddy chasing after him fearfully. 

“Well, that was even quicker than last time.” Jacky apologized to the old man for the noise. Thankfully he didn’t seem to mind, thanking him for his time before giving him a handful of berries for his troubles. After thanking the old man, Jacky finally took off to close the rest of the distance to the trial site.

Along the way, he fought three folks, each with a single Pokemon to utilize, but it was really the first that was most noteworthy. A Cottonee that Deagle took out rather quickly, exploding in a bright flash of light afterwards as she evolved into a strong Trumbeak. “Oh, good for you, Deagle, you managed to evolve first!” Jacky applauded his newly sized bird Pokemon, happily continuing onward to test Deagle’s new strength by taking out a Butterfree and then a Misdreavus before arriving at a Pokemon Center.

However, just before he could step in, he spotted a Makuhita being pecked at by a couple Spearow. It bashed a few in the beaks, but got far more jabs from them, leading Jacky to send out Deagle and Cinnamon to bash and burn them to get them to back off. “There you go, buddy. I doubt you’ll be seeing them again!” He recalled Cinnamon and Deagle, eager to get them patched up for the upcoming trial, but the Makuhita followed him inside. “What’s up? Need healing?”

However, the Makuhita just stared up at him with star in its...closed... eyes? The point is, the Makuhita seemed pretty impressed by this stranger and his Pokemon, leaping in and beating up a bunch of Spearow for him. He pointed at one of Jacky’s Pokeballs and seemed demanding of his capture, something Jacky found kind of entertaining as he obliged. 

“Well, guess you’re a part of the team, Po.” 

Jacky handed over his Pokemon to the nurses and headed outside to wait, sitting at an outdoor table, enjoying the cool night air. So far so good in this whole island trial business, he thought to himself. No losses so far and it seemed there weren’t any threats to the region unlike...so many other regions. Team Rocket was a pathetically stubborn leech and thankfully Team Plasma was pretty much gone by now. Seemed like he didn’t need to worry about too much in his new home, giving him some relief from his concerns over this whole journey. 

Alola seemed pretty overall peaceful compared to his other two homes, Kanto and Unova. Really, he just had to admit that part of his worries for this little adventure was that this region would have its own little sinister group of criminals. He never would’ve thought they’d be so pathetic, though. 

“Guess I’ve gotta give some credit to those boneheads, they really take the tension out of everything.” As his thoughts left the topic of his journey and evil teams, he began to ponder about how everyone back at Unova is doing, how Sabrina’s doing in Kanto, wondering who to call first. Well, scratch that, he’d obviously call his sister first, everyone else can wait until that call’s over. He could call Uncle N, say hello to Professor Juniper, maybe catch up with Auntie Bianca while he’s at it. 

“Mr. Ashford, you’re Pokemon are all healed up now,” a nurse called from inside. 

“Ah, thanks a lot, ma’am!” He got up and headed back into the building to see his Pokemon all healed and ready for the next step, while Kirby was ready to go to the box. He sat down at a table to the side of the building, and called the seven of them over for some relaxation before the true first step of this island challenge. Feeding them all, giving them individual attention, the works, just as he was relaxing with his team, he had a thought. “Hey, Rotom…”

“Zttztt! What’s up, kiddo?” The sentient device flew out of his backpack from sleep mode at his call. “Need a scan? See the map? Maybe you wanna hear the dirt I got on your Pokemon.” Jacky decided to ignore that last part, especially considering the impish expression Rotom had on its screen.

“None of the above. I actually was wondering if maybe we could take a picture after the trial.” He pet Cinnamon, who rested on his lap lazily. “If we win it, I mean. You know, commemorate our first big win.”

“Confident are we?”

“Not really, but I won’t make anything better being pessimistic, right?” Looking over his Pokemon, he began to make his decision over who would be the best choices for this first trial. The captain for it was Ilima and he seemed to like using the Normal-types, so Po was a prime choice and Kirby would be a good pick too, but he wasn’t about to force the little balloon to fight when it doesn’t want to. Cinnamon was going, obviously, and he felt that having Nirvana on the team with Yawn would be a good option, and then Wattson was a sturdy one, so he could be good.

Finally there was Fionn and Deagle. Both were likely about average in terms of choice, so they’ll most definitely be in the back of the party. He had settled on the order and turned to the Pokemon before him to act on those choices. 

“Alright, guys, since there’s seven of you, someone’s going to have to get boxxed. Since Kirby doesn’t want to battle, that someone is going to be him, so everyone say your goodbyes.” Jacky smiled as his team seemed to offer what he could only assume were farewells as their trainer took Kirby over to the PC and prepped his transfer. After some time booting, the transfer began and Kirby was taken out of his hands, freeing him up to take on the trial.

Turning to face his team, he offered them some confidence as he asked them, “So, are you guys ready?” After getting excited, plain, and even aggressive responses, he returned them to their balls before leaving the Pokemon Center. It was finally time.

* * *

Ilima was just outside the entrance to the cave, awaiting Jacky’s arrival, and from the look in his eyes, he could tell that Ilima was eager to witness the trial. “Welcome to your first trial site, Jacky. Now, I’m sure you’ve guessed that these trials won’t be like the gym challenges from other places in the world.”

“I thought about it a little.” He could feel his fingers shake a bit, veiled in the dark of night from the enthusiastic young man in front of him. This was to be his first experience with the foreign traditions of Alola and while he was certain this first challenge wouldn’t be too difficult, it still gave him some concern.

“Well, allow me to explain the rules of the island trials then. Every trial involves a task that needs to be completed with your Pokemon, as well as a battle against a Totem Pokemon.” Before Jacky could inquire as to what in the world that was, Ilima elaborated with a knowing twinkle in his eye and a playful smirk on his lips. “Totem Pokemon are like guardians that overlook the island trials. They are far stronger than normal Pokemon and are the final challenge awaiting each trial-goer that tackles Alola’s island trials. If you can succeed in these trials and defeat the Totem, then you’ll be rewarded for your effort and will be allowed to catch a Pokemon from the trial site.”

Jacky took in each of the points Ilima made towards explaining the rules and stuck a pin in all of them. It wasn’t likely that they’d feed the same tasks every time, so he’d need to be prepared for some variety and possible turns. Then there was a question he felt needed asking above anything else. “Am I allowed to leave the trial site or put it on hold?” It was important to get the exact details of this particular inquiry, for the sake of any future issues.

“A very good question, Jacky. You can leave the trial site anytime you wish while in the middle of the trial, but be warned that if you do, you’ll have to do the trial’s task from scratch. I’m sure you understand why.” Understanding the reasoning wasn’t an issue at all, seeing as how exploitable letting trial-goers take a break without consequence can be. If they were simply allowed to leave in the middle of the task, they’d heal up their Pokemon at the Center and continue the trial as if their Pokemon hadn’t taken any damage. “I would recommend you do so if you really need to, but just know that you’ll have to start anew when you return.”

“Alright, I think I’ve got it.” Jacky took a breath and approached the mouth of the cave. “I’m ready, Ilima, let’s get this trial started.”

Pleased with his answer and eager to see his friend’s first trial, Ilima led him into the cave, now elaborating on the task the trial would have him do. “This cave is home to many Rattatas, and while most will be tucked away in their tunnels, you’ll find a few scurrying around. They’re fully willing to fight, but they’re very mischievous Pokemon, so they’ll try to give you a good long runaround before they do. Your task will be to corner and defeat three of them before you can challenge the Totem Pokemon.” 

That sounded simple at first, find three Rattatas and beat them to proceed, but Jacky knew how quick they could be and how tricky it was to chase them down if they didn’t want to be caught. His family had a slight problem with them before their move to Alola, so he had reason to think this could get a bit tedious. Still, it wouldn’t help to complain or moan, so he readied his team, sending them out of their pokeballs. “Ilima, be honest with me. Is this really the trial or do you just not want to pay the exterminator?” 

His joke made Ilima laugh softly, giving a lighter mood to the room and helping ease Jacky’s worries. He got to searching the cave for Rattatas, Cinnamon spotting one rather quickly and closing in slowly and quietly in a prowl before jumping it and Embering it into submission. “Woah, you’re pretty eager for this, aren’t you?” Cinnamon seemed to meow blissfully before his whole body started to light up and change shape, settling into a bigger, fluffier form. 

“Looky at that, Zttztt! Your little partner’s evolving already!” Rotom declared as it shot from Jacky’s backpack. It barely had any time to say more before Jacky swiped Rotom from the air and took so many pictures of the newly formed Torracat, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he seemed to forget the trial for a moment. 

While he was busy taking pictures and making Cinnamon bored and uncomfortable, the rest of his team were off chasing the second Rattata. As Deagle and Fionn managed to corner it, Po knocked it out with a quick strike of his hand, marking it down and leaving only one left. The team returned to their trainer, Fionn having to bite at his ankle to get him back to reality. “O-Oh, sorry about that, you guys. But it looks like you did a good job. Now we just need to find one more…” 

Just as he did a quick scan of the tunnels, he caught a Rattata in his sight at a nearby tunnel, to which he rushed after. However, just as the Rattata saw him coming, it scurried into the tunnel and out of reach before reemerging from another tunnel. From a distance, Jacky could tell just how close it was to the tunnel it just exited and he was sure it was ready to pounce right back into it at the first sign of approach.

While Jacky was pondering what to do about this, he saw Fionn growling and gritting her fangs at the Rattata, ready to pounce at any moment. Taking a quick glance at the tunnel right next to his own feet, Jacky was given an idea and called Fionn over. “Fionn, I want you to get into the tunnel and catch the Rattata from behind. Keep it from diving back in if we attack it.” 

Fionn seemed receptive to this plan and charged right into the tunnel, while Jacky ordered Po and Nirvana to block off the other tunnels just in case before going to join Cinnamon, Fionn, and, now, Deagle as they approached the Rattata. It turned around quickly and tried to retreat back again, but the sight of Fionn’s fangs gnashing viciously at it way too close for comfort scared it enough to back away, forcing it into a fight with Cinnamon.

It was a quick matter of Embering the daylights out of it, ending the task then and there. “Alright, you guys, good job!” Jacky got down on a knee and gave each of his Pokemon congratulations and pets for a job well done just before hearing an annoyingly familiar pair of voices.

“Yo, the berry thief boys are back!”

“Back, boys!” 

He got to his feet and turned around to glare at the returned Team Skull Grunts that he’d had to put up with all night tonight. “You two again?” 

“Yo, don’t just give us the ice cold shoulder!” 

“We’re gonna crush that disrespect like a rock-hard boulder!” 

The two sent out their Pokemon, Zubat and Drowzee respectively, challenging the apathetic trainer to a battle. However, the Zubat let out a very high-pitched screech, followed by its trainer letting out an almost equally pitched scream as they were blasted with water by a peeved Ilima and his Smeargle. The other Grunt instinctively turned away from Jacky, which only further doomed them to failure as Cinnamon tore the Drowzee down rather quickly. 

“Get out of my trial site this instant, you sniveling delinquents,” Ilima ordered them, almost sounding like a school rep. Of course, with the attention of both the trial captain and the trainer that had beaten them twice before already, and both their Pokemon down for the count before they could even pray for a win, they were quick to return their Pokemon to their pokeballs and make a break for it. 

The raven-haired trial-goer couldn’t help a sigh, being one-hundred percent assured that these useless knuckleheads were going to be a recurring headache throughout his journey. He’d heard stories from his mom about her run-ins with Team Plasma when she was young and stories from his dad about the Kanto Champion having to deal with Team Rocket all the time. Team Skull wasn’t anywhere close to threatening at all, but the bravado and smack talk and tough acts gave him the impression that they’d be coming back for more, whether intentional or not, they’d be back for so much more. 

He had to pray to Palkia’s spatial powers that he won’t though, that by some chance they’re only on this island and none of the others. A guy can hope and dream, can’t he?

“Well, now that those pests are out of the way, I believe it’s time to move on to your final challenge in this trial!” Ilima seemed to chin up after Team Skull’s departure, though he still had signs of his distaste left over. He gestured for Jacky to follow, leading into a new part of the cavern. This room had a hole in the roof, moonlight pouring in over the grass in the dirt and moss on the stone walls, and what looked like a small pedestal, almost like a shrine of sorts. In the light of the moon, Jacky could see a glitter of some kind of crystal, which naturally caught his attention. 

“There lies the first Z-Crystal you’ll receive from the island trials, Jacky. That Z-Ring there, when paired with a Z-Crystal will allow you to perform a powerful attack with your Pokemon,” Ilima told him, happy to tell the foreign kid about it. He was almost like a little child wanting to show how smart he is by telling people about stuff. It was admittedly a little adorable and kinda funny. “Of course, you’ll only get it if you can beat him.”

Wait, ‘Him’?

Jacky looked at Ilima, who had his finger pointing upward, pulling the challenger’s eyes to the roof where he saw a giant figure standing over the edge. It hopped into the room, landing with a mighty thud as it revealed itself fully to its guest. It was a giant black Raticate, towering over him and screeching at him. Jacky couldn’t help the panic that quickly filled his chest with a powerful and constricting sensation as he took in the size alone of this thing.

So this was a Totem Pokemon, huh? It was certainly intimidating, that was for sure. His body moved forcefully against his will as Cinnamon, Nirvana, and Fionn tackled him, throwing him out of the way of a swing of its tail. This seemed to be enough to break Jacky out of his stupor, petting Cinnamon and Fionn for the help, alternating his hand from Fionn to Nirvana after. “Thanks, guys.” 

He looked at the Totem, then at the room surrounding them all and got up, examining it and his team. Jacky made quick orders for Deagle and Wattson to distract it for a little while, the two Pokemon hovering towards and then around it as they began to make trilling and buzzing sounds respectively. Thankfully it worked as the giant Raticate started swiping its claws, gnashing its teeth, and swinging its tail at them with no success, but Jacky could tell it might not be enough. He sent Cinnamon and Fionn to contribute to the distraction before addressing Po. “Listen, buddy, this battle’s gonna be a big moment for you. Since you’re a fighting type, you’ll be able to pound him harder than anyone.”

“Exactly, Zttztt! Especially since Raticates are Dark/Normal type Pokemon, so your fists’ll deal double the double damage!” Rotom declared excitedly. That made Jacky realize something that he hadn’t really thought about. He’d noticed the Rattatas were black, rather than the purple color he knew best. He’d subconsciously written it off as merely minor changes, but he never really thought they’d have different typing. 

“Well that makes things all the more convenient, doesn’t it? Po, you need to strike as hard as you can while that big guy’s busy with the others, okay? Give him the strongest Force Palm you’ve got!” Po seemed to understand and accept his role, putting on his best game face and turning towards the Totem, still trying to attack the others that seemed just too fast for it. With all their focus being on avoiding attacks, they just need to make noise all the while and didn’t have to sweat complicated stuff like timing attacks or minimizing damage.

While Po readied his attack, Nirvana remained with Jacky in case the Raticate lashes out at them in anger. Jacky drew his hand gently along the Slowpoke’s back, for thanks and to ease his stress as some of the attacks thrown against his Pokemon got pretty close a couple times. But it all went away as the little spunky Makuhita he’d unleashed on the Totem Pokemon charged at it the moment its back was turned. Upon the last step, Po leaped at the center of the Raticate’s back, his hand glowing with a fierce aura just as it slammed it into the Totem’s body.

The force of the attack let out a small boom as the Raticate was sent straight into a wall, both Deagle and Cinnamon having to scurrying quickly to the side to avoid it. A burst of dust and pebbles were thrown into the air upon impact with the wall and all of the team seemed to tense up in anticipation, but when the dust settled, they found the Totem surprisingly down for the count. “We… We did it? Just like that?” 

It felt kind of surreal to him and almost unbelievable. Sure, he knew the great advantage Po had in type effectiveness and he hit the Totem hard when it wasn’t looking, but he still kind of expected a Pokemon with such grandiosity to have withstood the attack at least a little. It wasn’t until all of his team started celebrating their victory that he snapped to and let himself smile and bask in the feeling he got from his success. He pulled it off, took down his very first trial, and now he could finally make use of the Z-Ring Tapu Koko had gifted him with. 

Approaching the pedestal housing the crystal, he reached in and pulled it free, examining it. It was completely transparent with the exception of a small emblem inside. He carried the crystal down to his wrist and clicked the crystal into the slot on his Z-Ring, fully cementing his achievement. With his team crowded around him and celebrating, he finally allowed himself a truly proud feeling, indulging in it for a moment with his team. Hugging his Pokemon and petting them and complimenting them for doing so well. 

“Congratulations, Jacky, for completing your very first trial,” Ilima interjected, giving him some soft applause as he approached the victor and his team. “I must admit, your strategy was brilliant for your first Totem battle.” 

“Thanks, Ilima. I’m glad that these guys were quick enough to handle themselves, otherwise it might not have worked as well.” Though he tried to say it casually, he knew that his slight pessimism kind of dampened the mood ever-so-slightly. “Sorry, what I mean is that I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone.” 

This seemed to put the gloom aside and please the trial captain. “Very true, Jacky. It’s important to have faith in your Pokemon, though I’d recommend a little bit more optimism from here on out.” Putting that topic aside, he smiled gleefully as he seemed to straighten his posture. “Now, before we move on, it’s time to learn how to use that new Z-crystal of yours.”

What came next was almost as, if not equally surreal as his win against the Totem Pokemon, and that was the method to using Z-moves. He had to do something akin to a small dance, representative of the type of move being used. It looked kinda odd and would probably be a touch embarrassing, not getting into how much he’d have to practice using Z-moves to avoid impracticality. The worst part was that he’d probably be the only one in Alola who’d really feel embarrassed about it though.

These Z-moves were a part of the traditions and culture of the Alola region, so the native folks were definitely used to the concept, method, and execution. So he’d be the only one stewing with stage fright. Still, he was able to get the movements memorized, albeit somewhat rough. But now that this was over, he could move on with the island challenge with a new weapon in his hands, or rather in his wrist. 

“Well anyways, thanks for the Z-crystal and the dance lessons, Prince, but I’m gonna get outta--.”

“Yeah, I knew you could do it, Jacky!!” And just like every other entrance he makes, Kukui bursts in without proper greeting or small gestures like, oh say, knocking. He seemed on a roll too, as the moment those words come out of his mouth, he makes a quick observation and spews out more words within record time. “And you’ve got your first Z-crystal, oh yeah! Now you just need to learn the moves!” 

Ilima, who at this point seemed amused and entertained, felt it necessary to break the oh-so unfortunate news. “Sorry, Professor, but I’ve already taught Jacky the moves required to use the Z-move. I hope that’s not too disappointing.”

“Ah, Ilima, you stole my Thunder!” the kooky professor laughed his usual boisterous laugh and resumed his congratulations. “Now that you finished Melemele’s trial, all that’s left is to challenge the Kahuna, cousin! You gotta go see Hala and tell him to his face that you’re ready for a Smack Down!” 

“That sounds more like I’m asking him to beat me up,” Jacky deadpanned, releasing a neutral breath as that sent Kukui for another round of laughs. “Anyways, Hala, right? I’ll be head over right away then…” 

“Oh, but before you do that, Jacky, I gotta ask. Have you seen Lillie anywhere?” He seemed cooled off after all his shouting and guffawing. “I haven’t seen her in a while, so I was hoping you’d know.” 

“No, haven’t been with her for a little while, but I can try looking for her, if you want.” It wasn’t really an issue for him in all honesty. Lillie didn’t have a proper Pokemon partner and Nebby didn’t seem all that capable in the ways of self-defense, so it’d be best to find them quickly. Not to mention his team just got done dealing with the trial and the Totem Pokemon, so it’d help them to get some rest in their pokeballs along the way. 

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Jacky! You should probably check somewhere along Route 3, I’m thinking. I’m sure I would’ve run into her if she didn’t pass through there.” With a wave and an explanation that he needs to get back to the lab for a quick drop-by, he excused himself and took off. 

“Welp, that’s my cue, I guess.” Jacky pat Ilima on the back with a bemused smirk before heading out as well. “I’ll see you around, Prince!” 

“Take care, Reaper!”

* * *

The road through Route 3 wasn’t a very eventful time, with a few trainers here, some annoying, dive-bombing bird Pokemon there. Although Deagle was able to learn a new move and snag a great attachment to her beak that could help her attacks, so it wasn’t all bad. Jacky would ask the trainers he defeated if they had seen Lillie pass through, describing her appearance, to which they directed him towards the Melemele Meadow, a wide-open space full of gorgeous yellow flowers. 

And when he arrived, there she was, sticking out from the sun-colored petals dancing in the wind with her pure white attire. Once again, a look of concern was painted on her face, her eyes scanning through the field of flowers, clutching the bag hanging from her shoulder. “Nebby, where are you?” 

Her voice snapped Jacky back to attention as he approached Lillie to ask what’s wrong. Well, from her calling alone, it was clear what was wrong, it just slipped out naturally. “He got out again, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll see if I can find him…” He looked around before finding a clear spot in the meadow closer to the center that he could run to. “I’ll be back with Nebby, Lillie. I promise,” he assured her as he rushed off to the clear spot.

“Rotom, switch on the PokeFinder. We could use the zoom feature to get a better look around.” The trainer grabbed Rotom out of the air as the program turned on, using his pseudo-sentient pokedex to survey the surroundings. “Ah, there that little scamp is.” It didn’t take too long to find Nebby with Rotom’s help, the small space-looking guy lingering atop a hill not too far from his location. 

After calling to Lillie to stay put, he heads into the meadow’s sea of yellow blossoms, ready to grab Nebby and go. However, not two steps beyond that and a small ball of yellow feathers poked her adorable head out of the meadow, chirping at Jacky and Rotom before breaking into a cheerful dance before much could be said. Naturally, the raven-haired boy was immediately smitten with the bird’s adorable charm and used the still-active Pokefinder to take several pictures of it while it danced. 

What an amazing opportunity to take such clear, close-up shots of such a cute sight! This was an unbelievable opportunity right here, and the bird Pokemon seemed happy with the attention. “Hey kid, I think that’z enough picturez!” Rotom was a killjoy as it flew from Jacky’s hands and bopped him on the head with its… arm? 

“Right, gotta go grab Nebby.” Jacky pat the bird Pokemon on the head and thanked it for the dance before heading to continue on his way, but he found a soft feeling around his hand and a slight tug. The yellow bird was holding tight to his hand, reluctant to let him leave just yet. “I’m sorry, but I need to get going. You can come with me if you--!” 

Just as he pulled out a pokeball, it cooed happily and tapped the button with one of its pom poms, being pulled in and captured within seconds. “Woah, okay then, welcome to the team. I think I’ll call you Millie!” 

After that little encounter, Jacky would put Cinnamon up at the front of the team, having him take the brunt of encounters and battles, which he managed splendidly. He even endured multiple status effects and shook them off at Jacky’s encouragement, making him just such a proud papa. Their run through the meadow took them across a few clear spots and small ledges before they arrived at the hill.

“Nebby, there you are!” The little pudge of space hovered in place as it turned to spot Jacky and his team approaching. 

“Pew!” It seemed happy to see him here, floating straight towards him. Jacky picked the little galaxy ball up and made his way back to Lillie. Thankfully for him and Lillie there was a clear path from the hill to Lillie’s spot. In other words, he had to run downhill to cut through the meadow quickly, having to stumbling seven times to keep himself from falling flat on his face. 

“Nebby, Jacky! Are you two okay?” Lillie rushed over to the formerly stumbling trainer that just spent some time grabbing her little mini-galaxy. After Jacky hands her Nebby, she pouts at the happy, care-free creature. “Oh, Nebby, you need to stop slipping away or something bad might happen to you!” After guiding Nebby into the bag hanging at her side, she bowed her head in thanks. “I’m so sorry about this, Jacky. Thank you so much for the help.” 

“It wasn’t too hard to find him, so no problem.”

“No, really, I’m sure your Pokemon must be tired. Here, I have some potions with me, so let me heal them really quick!” Before any protests could be made, she pulled out several potions and applied them to the team, making them all feel much more relieved. “There, now they should be fine. Oh, that reminds me! How did your first trial go?”

“I got through it, no problem. I didn’t expect it, but we actually managed to take down the Totem in one shot.” He seemed pleased with himself as he spoke those words aloud, filled with a boost of confidence.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Congratulations, Jacky, now you can challenge the Kahuna! Honestly, I couldn’t imagine doing that myself!” Her jubilant celebratory manner filled Jacky with some pride as the two finally moved to leave the meadow. Almost missing the negative edge to her voice, miniscule as it was, Jacky was ready to try and lift her spirits when I certain someone smashed into him, making the crasher and the crashee collapse to the ground at Lillie’s feet. “Jacky, Hau, are you two okay!?”

Jacky groaned at the mention of Hau’s name and the sting of his back having impacted the hard ground. “Just peachy…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I thought it'd be fitting for a bunch of pre/young teens to dub Jacky something unoriginal or edgy, mostly Joseph though. Goodness, that boy is extra as hell. Anyways, this was about what kicked me into high gear with being more creative with battles, as the Totem Raticate really did go down in one shot thanks to Po. x4 weaknesses are a real bitch sometimes~   
> Anywho, obviously one-shotting a bloody Totem Pokemon wouldn't be very interesting on its own, so I embellished a bit by having the rest of the team distract it. Since Totems are monstrously big Pokemon with heightened stats, I'd figure that more than one Pokemon would be allowed to assist in this telling, if the trainer needs it.  
> What do you guys think?


	8. Time Well-Needed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his first trial, and helping out Lillie, Jacky tackles his buddy Hau for the third time at this time. Though, looking a bit closer, he seems kind of tired. Guess it's time for a little rest~

Jacky had to shove Hau back to get out of the dirt, as the enthusiastic young man had completely collapsed over him when they collided. "For Zekrom's sake, Hau, you think you're going fast enough?" He patted his clothes down to shake the dirt off while his klutzy friend got up and neglected his own. "What's the rush that you had to go at mach speed?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, bud. I just finished my trial and wanted to let you guys know. Thankfully I passed by Professor Kukui on the way and he told me you'd be here." He laughed off Jacky's grumbles, scratching his head half-nervously. Afterwards, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the Normalium-Z to show off the proof of his accomplishment. "See that! I'm right on your tail, buddy!"

Cinnamon grumbled in response, glancing from Hau's chipper grin all the way down to his legs, where, standing right by them, was the yet-to-be-evolved Rowlet, Robin. As their two trainers chatted it up, towering over them, the starters had a moment to interact at least a little. The Torracat looked Robin up and down, making a show of it before he gave as smug a grin as a cat possibly could. Cinnamon made his way towards Robin, stopping a foot away and trotting in a full circle, emphasizing his freshly achieved evolution.

This didn't sit well with Robin in the slightest, hooting bitterly at Cinnamon and flapping his wings aggressively the cat's way. It was obvious from the get-go, he couldn't stand his attitude one bit, and he was itching to wipe the smirk of this cheshire's face. As the two Pokemon had their little tiff, their trainers finally took note of them.

"Oh hey, I see Cinnamon evolved into a Torracat! Congratulations, Jacky, I bet that really made the Totem fight easier, huh?" Hau didn't know one-hundred percent how much the new trainer relied on his starter, but he did know that a lot of fresh faces use their starters very often, even more than the rest of the team. His words seemed to affect both Robin and Cinnamon, as Robin jabbed one of his wings at Cinnamon, as if driving home a counterargument. "It was rough for me and Robin to try and take it down without a leg up like that, you know?"

"Oh no, Cinnamon didn't fight it directly, really." Jacky seemed not to notice his starter getting a little annoyed with Robin as he furthered his conversation with Hau. "He actually helped draw the Totem's attention while another member of the team one-shot the Totem." While it helped to make special mention of Cinnamon's contribution to the challenge, it still didn't stop Robin from teasing him about not even fighting the Totem. Robin contended with that same opponent without an evolution and without assistance from Misa.

"No way, you managed to take down the Totem in one shot?" Hau was in awe at the thought, nailing such a beast with one choice attack.

Jacky simply waved off whatever admiration Hau had for him, though he did feel a bit prideful at least. "It wasn't anything too spectacular, really. The Totem was a Dark/Normal type, so hitting it with a Fighting type move just made sense, you know?" He, of course, wasn't going to knock the efforts of the rest of his Pokemon either. "Still, it was a pretty monstrous Raticate, so it was a pretty bad situation if we couldn't keep up. I had the rest of the team distract it and drop its guard first, so I do gotta thank them too."

While Hau was impressed by Jacky's method, it only further fueled Robin's birdy equivalent of smack talk, leading Cinnamon to start yowling at him, the bell around his neck flaring with burning cinders. This managed to catch the trainers' attention this time and they exchanged a quick look with each other. "Our Pokemon look pretty fired up, huh? Wanna have another go at it?"

"Why not? Seems like Cinnamon's got some energy to burn through anyways." Jacky and Hau got their Pokemon ready, completely overlooking the puns they made. The former, of course, chose Cinnamon to lead the battle, calling the cat to his side as Hau recalled Robin and sent out Misa instead, who'd actually evolved from the adorable pink-cheeked baby she used to be and into the more iconic form of a Pikachu. The coal-haired young man gave a whistle and added, "Damn, Hau, it looks like Cinnamon's not the only one. Why didn't you use Misa for the Totem battle?"

"Oh, well, I kinda was hoping that maybe… Robin would evolve after beating the Totem?" He seemed a touch self-conscious about the decision now, since he took a risk and it didn't really give the payoff he wanted. "But it's fine, Robin can always evolve later down the line, right? And maybe, just maybe, this fight will be what we need!"

Jacky's mouth opened into a toothy grin as he stared down his friend, their Pokemon ready and raring to go just between them. "You know you gotta win to get that to happen, right man?"

"Just because you've beaten me so far, that doesn't mean you should be getting cocky, Jacky! I did beat the Totem with just Robin, after all!" Hau returned Jacky's jab with some gloating, sending the both of them into a very competitive mindset. Quite frankly, Lillie was surprised the two weren't set aflame with blazing infernos from how fierce they and their Pokemon seemed to get.

The two finally got their battle going, Cinnamon pouncing quickly towards Misa, but the spry Pikachu wasn't going to let her newfound speed go to waste and leaped out of the way. The Torracat pursued Misa further, chasing it around the area as static began to build up in her tail, taking shape and size as a sphere of pure lightning slowly appeared. "Alright, Misa, keep it up and use that Electro Ball fast!"

Just a few more seconds and she'd zap the hell out of Cinnamon, maybe even take the win. That optimism disappeared in the blink of an eye as one final pounce allowed her opponent to sink his fangs deeply into her body, sharp pain shooting across where she'd been bitten. She lost focus and the electricity disappeared into some small static before even that vanished.

Cinnamon backed away, taking a deep breath, and unleashing a fireball onto Misa, the fur on his back flaring up into a bright red from the output of a searing Ember, impacting Misa and putting her down for the count. Jacky's precious Torracat ran over to his trainer and rubbed his furry body against his leg, earning a well-earned scratch behind the ear. "Good job, Cinnamon!"

"Well crap, I was really hoping Misa would've taken out your partner. It really would've made things easier for me." Hau recalled Misa to her pokeball, calling Robin out to contend with the fiery feline. "Still, we're not gonna just lie down and take it!"

Jacky couldn't help feeling elated at Hau's determination to at least go down swinging hard. "Alright, buddy, just know we're not going to take it easy on you! Cinnamon, have fun!"

The black and red cat pounced at Robin, having to make a wobbly landing as the owl flew out of the way, jabbing Cinnamon with his beak and immediately rising back into the air to avoid the oncoming fangs coming for him. Robin seemed to be taunting Cinnamon as he flew higher into the air, shooting a few hard leaves at him.

Though Cinnamon avoided Robin's assault, he was still getting quite peeved at this overconfident birdy. He needed to be reminded of why he hasn't and never will win and singing some feathers seemed a satisfying enough method. The Torracat's back flared red again as he sent a volley of inevitable first-degree burns the Rowlet's way. Cinnamon was a pretty good shot, making it hard to avoid for Robin, but that wasn't the end of the bird's trouble. With Cinnamon sending several searing embers at him, he had little opportunity to counterattack, and even when he could, most of the leaves sent at Cinnamon were burned up by the fires, the rest being dodged with ease.

Eventually, Cinnamon was able to connect a hit, nailing Robin close to his wing. Though the burns seemed effective, it looked as though Robin was hanging in there just barely, but in an effort to lure Cinnamon into a more even battle, the owl descended to the ground. He took the invitation, ceasing his flaring assault and making another pounce. Robin responded to this rush to try and attack with a startlingly sharp cry, swinging his wing out in an upward motion.

Unfortunately for the birdy, he barely missed as Cinnamon smacked his tail into the ground to push him ever so slightly to the side. It wasn't much of a change in position, but it was enough to avoid the thin, feathery appendage as his paws touched solid ground again, allowing him to close in for the final strike.

His tongue protruded out, a dark, sinister aura emanating from it - I can't believe I just wrote that - and this cocky little Torracat dragged a ghostly lick across Robin's belly, making his burns agitate and sting like hell. With this, Robin jolted away from the fight, ringing victory for Cinnamon and his trainer. "Well, that was certainly a unique way to win."

Jacky's eyes turned away from his Pokemon after giving him another petting and a couple Pokebeans for his victory and noticed Hau's eyes. They were narrowing a little bit, showing some frustration as he pulled out a potion and spritzed its contents onto Robin's burns. "Hey, Hau, are you okay?"

Hau seemed to jolt a little, waving his hand dismissively for a brief moment before it fell to his side. "Well, it's just that we've both beaten our first trial. I even defeated the Totem with only Robin, so why can't I beat you?"

Of course that's what was wrong. Anyone would get frustrated if they just couldn't seem to get a leg up on someone else, even if they had gotten stronger. What's worse is Jacky still wasn't one-hundred percent certain he even wants to undergo this journey in full yet, and he's damn certain that Hau knows that. That someone so half-hearted is able to beat Hau with such ease despite how passionate he is about this must feel like a complete insult.

"Hau, I-"

"Yeah, I finally caught up with you guys!" Kukui had arrived, waving his arm at the trio, his lab coat as open to the unwilling public as ever. "Hey, you found Lillie too, thanks a whole ton, Jacky!" He noticed that Cinnamon was a bit scuffed and Robin notably moreso, pointing to a battle he just narrowly missed. "Getting in a last-minute scuffle before your grand trial, boys? That's some spirit you two have right there, yeah! This is your first major step in your island challenge and, boy, is it gonna be a great one!"

"They have to battle Kahuna Hala, right? Isn't he supposed to be a really strong trainer?" Lillie seemed a touch concerned by this sudden jump from a simple trial to fighting the leading representative of the whole island.

"It's true he's really skilled, but there's nothing to worry about at all. Hala knows these two just started, so he'll probably limit himself so these two can have a reasonable chance to win." Kukui looked between the two boys from behind his shades, a gleam in his eyes and his mouth curved into an excited smirk. "Besides, these boys have beaten one of the Totem Pokemon and none of their teams look any worse for wear. Hau, I know your grandpa is going to be really proud to see you march right up to that ring to challenge him."

As if a magic switch had been flipped, Hau's moping disappeared in the blink of an eye, his usual grin and casual stance in place of it. "Aw, it was nothing at all, really! If it stands in my way, I'll knock it down, no issue!" Hau shot a very momentary look at Jacky, making his declaration into a clear message.

"And Jacky!" The young man's attention flew back to Kukui at the mention of his name. "I gotta admit, I was a little worried about you, but from what I heard from Ilima, you took care of your trial and the Totem like a pro. Keep it up from there and I know you'll be just fine."

"Thanks, Professor, I definitely felt nervous when I saw how big the Totem was, but I'm just glad none of my team got hurt." He stroked his Torracat's back, eliciting a faint purr from Cinnamon. "I think I'll be fine for the grand trial, but I think I'll take a break from the island challenge until tomorrow." He was exhausted from running around everywhere pretty much all night and he needed to get some sleep anyways. Besides, he had some things he needed to think on and he'd rather do it somewhere comfortable like home.

Hau groaned in disappointment at Jacky's statement, probably wanting to face Hala at the same time. Knowing him, he surely intends to tackle Hala as quickly as he possibly can, but without his precious rival there to see it happen, it likely lost some emotional weight. Jacky was certain Hau would still challenge Hala regardless, though, so he simply wished Hau luck.

As he gave his goodbyes and good nights, and his friends returned the farewells, Jacky's eyes shot towards the sky. As the morning sun started to peak over the horizon, casting the night away to the opposite end of the earth, he saw a brief flash of yellow zip through the brightening colors in the distant air. No one else seemed to notice him, but Jacky was certain of what he saw, even if it was only a small trace. Tapu Koko was keeping a close eye on him.

...WELP! So much for the hope of full privacy!

* * *

Mary hummed an even-paced tune, off-note by a little bit from her intent, but she didn't mind in the slightest. The house was completely empty, save for herself and Purr-chase, at the moment and she couldn't help but feel a little bittersweet about that. Her son was an official trainer now, with a pokedex and everything. He probably even had a full team by now, one he could trust and care for at his discretion, one he could travel the whole region with if he wanted to.

It was a nice thought, that he was really that age now, yet it conversely hurt that he could leave the island at any time now, if he chose to, and she had no doubts that such a time was closing in fast. First her old flame, then her daughter, and now even her son was going to leave her behind for his own intentions, his journey. As much as Jacky would hesitate and fret inside about what could go wrong, she was his mother and knew him too well to believe he'd back down from this. He'd find a reason to go forward, to make the push. After that, every step he takes will be a reason to keep going until the very end, for better or for worse.

In spite of the melancholy lingering inside, Mary couldn't help but smile and ponder as she stared down into her coffee mug. Is this how Bianca's mother felt when her daughter left? How Cheren's father felt? Hell, what about her own mother, did she have thoughts like this while her own daughter was out travelling, battling, and seeing the rest that her home had to offer?

The doorknob made a clacking sound as it turned, making way for the door itself to creak as it opened wide. "Hey, mom, I'm back home." Her son came waltzing right through the door, dumping his backpack off to the side and giving his arms a stretch and moving his shoulders around to loosen them up.

"Welcome back, sweetie! I heard from Kukui that you went to take on that island trial, how did it go?"

Jacky sighed as he strolled over to the fridge to grab a cup of milk, thirsty from his long stroll back to the house. "Well, let me ask you something, mom. Do you like the idea of chasing around a bunch of Rattata as a required task and then fighting a gigantic Raticate almost three times your size?"

"Excuse me?" Giant Raticate? Did she hear that correctly or did she hit her head on the table? And what, he had to run around after Rattatas for this trial thing? Those things were a complete pain in the ass to catch when they don't want you to catch them. "H-Hold on, start from the beginning, I need a little bit more context."

So Jacky explained to his mother how the trials were structured, with one challenge before having to fight the Totem Pokemon, a beefed up Pokemon that was much larger than the normal variety. He told her about his fight with the Totem Raticate and of the strategy he used to take it down, and the prize of a Z-crystal. He even mentioned Team Skull, bursting in with their meager efforts to seem tough and cool before they went down like chumps.

"Oh wow," Mary laughed jubilantly, "they sound pretty fun. I kinda wish I had them instead of Plasma back home, my journey would've gone so much more smoothly if I did." She couldn't even begin to think of how brutal Cheren would've been to mooks like that, and she could hardly imagine even Bianca letting guys like that steal her Pokemon.

"Yeah, it was pretty easy knocking them down, but they are pretty persistent, I'll give them that." He figured if he had to admire Team Skull for anything, it might as well be that much, if nothing else. "Anyways, I'm just glad we got through it without anyone getting hurt." He looked at his Z-ring, the Normalium Z fit firmly into the slot, shining in the light of the kitchen.

"Since we're on the topic, how about that new friend of yours, Hau?"

"Hau? Oh yeah, he finished the trial too, and did it with only one Pokemon too." To do something like that, without outside interference, must've been pretty impressive and without Robin even evolving to boot. Yet, Hau lost pretty hard to him all over again, as if nothing had changed at all. Jacky was certain that he should feel proud to be undefeated, he knew that anyone else probably would.

"What's wrong, Jacky, you look so gloomy, I figured you would've been happy after everything you pulled off." Mary stared at him expectantly, waiting for his response patiently. A satisfactory response at that, as Jacky's mother was never one to accept anything less than that. She had a knack for seeing through him somehow, so it was hard dancing around it. Jacky and his sister would often have no choice but the truth when they realized how sharp their mom truly was.

"Mom, when you started your journey, with Uncle Cheren and Aunt Bianca, why did you go? Did you want to be the Champion of Unova or something?" It was a hollowing sensation, reminding himself of his lack of direction. There was no deeper purpose for doing this whole island challenge ordeal outside of everyone's expectations, especially Tapu Koko's. Hau, on the other hand, he did have a goal: to completely surpass his grandfather. Maybe, if he knew what his mother's reasons were, he'd find something to pursue himself.

Maybe then wouldn't feel so guilty, beating Hau all the time…

"I wanted to see the world with my friends!" Mary grinned humorously as her son looked up at her skeptically, as if expecting her to tell him what she really set out to do. "Wipe that look off your face, kiddo! I'm being completely serious with you right now."

"But wouldn't you already travel Unova if you wanted to do something else? Beat the League, be an actor, maybe be a professor like Aunt Bianca?" He couldn't really fully believe her at first, the motivation just seemed so basic.

"Oh, trust me, tackling the Unova League was heaps of fun, Jacky. It was one heck of a bonus to beat up the gym leaders and Elite Four, but all of it was just that, a bonus. The cherry on top of the cake of seeing new sights and getting my first real taste of the world." She traced a finger across the table, a serene look on her face as she recalled her first day. "Cheren and Bianca were so eager to come with me. Bianca and her mom went behind her dad's back so she could get a Pokemon and come along, and Cheren was the one who practically begged Professor Juniper to give them Pokemon."

Jacky had to do a quick double take, searching his mother's face again for any signs that she was pulling his leg, but nothing. "Uncle Cheren, begging? Are you absolutely sure, mom, because that doesn't sound like him at all!"

"Better believe it, hon, and even more than that! Cheren might have been the 'super serious type', but that didn't stop him from doing some amazing things for what he wanted." She had so many stories she wanted to tell her son now that this much was up in the air. Hell, the notion of keeping the spilt beans a secret between the two of them was oh-so temptingly ironic. However, if there's one thing she could rely on so unfortunately, it was the fact that no matter how hard she tried, Cheren would find out. She wouldn't know how, she wouldn't know when, but he would find out and he would chew her out about it at his soonest convenience.

Cheren took great pleasure in Mary's lack of knowing, too, that part was just as sure. The fact that she told Jacky as much as Cheren's begging for Pokemon was probably enough to get her into some deep shit as is, if she were really unlucky. Smug little four-eyed know-it-all…

"Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you don't need some really grand motivation to go travelling around. Anything will work as long as it's something you really want to do, no matter the reasons. If you find a new goal along the way, that's a really great thing, and you'll have plenty of time, and ground, to figure it out."

Jacky took some time to think about that, wondering if it was really true. Hau wants to become strong so he can surpass his grandfather. Hell, Lillie's not even a trainer, but even she has a big reason to be running around like that, using nothing but repels and her own two legs. Comparing his uncertainty to that was like comparing a car running on a full tank to a car running on fumes. One is expected to go the distance, while another is expected to sputter to a stop before it can even hope to finish the trip.

Cutting through his thoughts like a knife came a big yawn, signifying that he should probably get the big sleep he needs after all that running around. "Sounds like you had a really busy day, sweetie. Go get some sleep, you've earned it, I'm sure," Mary told him, getting up and hugging him. "Good night, Jacky."

Jacky returned her hug briefly before returning her good night wishes and slumping off drowsily to his room. Once inside, he plopped down bluntly onto his mattress, face-first. The tip of his shoe sluggishly pushed against the back rim of the other shoe, tugging it off and dumping it onto the floor, before his socky foot did the same for the remaining shoe. With his shoes off, he turned over into a more comfortable position in bed, slipping more easily into slumber, not bothering with any of his other attire.

Soon after his departure to dreamland, Cinnamon and the rest of his team emerged from their pokeballs, the Torracat laying by his trainer's side and readily going sleep. Following their example was Nirvana, slowly trotting over to the foot of the bed and laying down, drifting swiftly to sleep. Fionn was scurrying about the room curiously while Deagle flew to the top of a chest of drawers to keep an eye on everyone. Wattson and Po, meanwhile, seemed to be picking places to sleep and both chose a desk chair with a fairly soft cushion.

Po and Wattson seemed to argue with each other, grabbing Deagle's attention. After watching them go at each other for a moment, she flew down from her perch and fluttered to a landing atop the chair cushion. With a trill from her beak she interrupted the two's feuding and made them realize the seat was already taken. As Po and Wattson grouchily stalked away, she made sure to continue her watch for just a little while longer.

Fionn had already found herself a place in a sock drawer that had just barely been open, eliciting a snarky gnash of her fangs at the Makuhita and Magnemite before curling up and falling asleep. Po frowned and walked off to the far corner of the room where he belly flopped onto the carpet, while Wattson gave an exceptionally apparent eye roll and hovered under the bed and drifting to the floor, the two closing their eyes to sleep. It was only after everyone else vacationed to dreamland that Deagle finally followed suit.

* * *

"-cky! Jacky, wake up!"

He slowly opened his eyes to the faint glow of moonlight breaching the blinds over his window. He felt a notable sensation in his side - something warm, soft, and distinctly fluffy - and propping himself up on his elbows, he looked down and saw Cinnamon curled up snuggling next to him on the bed. Littered around in different places, he could faintly recognize through the tired fog of freshly awakened eyes the figures of his team sleeping outside their balls peacefully. The only ones who'd woken up at his mother's call so far were Deagle and Cinnamon who just now allowed himself to sluggishly get up on his paws.

The Torracat hopped off the bedside before extending his limbs, getting in a good morning stretch. After finishing, it trotted over to the side of the room, waiting for Jacky to get out of bed himself. As Jacky's feet hit the floor, it woke up Wattson, who literally jolted himself awake and hovered out from under the bed. Po and Fionn were the next to awaken, the former given a very small and harmless electric zap by Wattson, while Fionn was brought to the waking world by the steadily increasing amount of noises the other were making. The last Pokemon to be awoken was Nirvana, still sleeping heavily in spite of the commotion that multiple dingles emit when they're groggy and disoriented. Deagle had to fly over to Nirvana and peck his head a few times before he would open his eyes.

After having shaken some of the lingering sleep from his still-dopey brain, Jacky finally stumbled out of his bedroom while his Pokemon lingered behind. His mother was making breakfast for him, though nothing too special, just some scrambled eggs. "Finally awake, sweetie? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a Snorlax."

Jacky mumbled a series of near-incomprehensible noises from his mouth as he sat down at the kitchen table awaiting his breakfast. Something along a close approximation to the phrase, "Better than a Loudred…"

"Hm? You say something, Jacky?" Mary slowly turned up the heat on the stove to max, impishly smiling at her sleepy son as she jokingly threatened to burn his breakfast, turning the heat back down to normal seconds before his grumpy reply of "Nothing". "So, you're going to be battling Hala today, right? That big ol' grand trial and everything?"

"Yeah, and I'm hoping nothing goes wrong. I'm not worried too much, but this island challenge is just different enough from what I know, you know?" He took a fork and scooped up his eggs the second the plate hit the table. Having hot food in his mouth helped shoo away the last bits of exhaustion away. "Hau's probably already gotten it done, so I'd better get it over with too, before he comes barreling through our door over it."

Jacky noted along the way to his first trial and even before that they were actually several other trainers carrying those little charms trial-goers carried to signify their status, though so far he's only ever fought them himself, rather than seeing them tackle Ilima's trial. It was a touch odd, but maybe it was a coincidence or a matter of timing. Or maybe it was the huge differentiation in his and others sleep schedules. Or maybe it was because the author didn't even think about that until now!

"Well, I'm sure you'll do just fine, especially now that you actually have a full team! Besides, taking down a giant Raticate in one hit sounds like proof enough that you can pull it off." Mary gave him an assuring smile as she seated herself at the table across from him with some eggs of her own, dumping a little too much ketchup on top. "I mean, I didn't exactly have it easy when I was your age. Some of the Pokemon me, Cheren, and Bianca had to work with back in Unova weren't the easiest to raise up at first."

She leaned a little to the side, her hair draping straight down as she watched Jacky's Pokemon finally emerge from his bedroom. "Look at your Pokemon and you try telling me you'll lose. You've already evolved two of your team, but it took me forever to evolve some of my first Pokemon." As she straightened back up in her seat, she looked at Jacky's plate only to realize he'd, once again, cleaned his plate lightning fast. "You eat so fast in the morning…"

Jacky didn't bother with a response and simply got up from his seat, taking his dishes and dumping them in the sink before going to grab the Pokebeans. He'd need to purchase some proper Pokemon food sometime soon so his team wouldn't have to subsist on these things, but for now, they'd have to do. "That reminds me, Sabrina should be awake right now, right?"

Mary stopped her fork at her daughter's name being spoken and gave it some thought. "I think it's about 7:33 in the afternoon over there, so I think so. You going to give her a quick call on your way to your big match?"

"Something like that…" Jacky had just finished distributing beans to each of his team members when he reached into his pocket and pulled out an Xtransceiver, having neglected to really use it since arriving in Alola. He wanted to give everyone else a call too, but while it was way past noon in Kanto right now, it was way before noon in Unova and everyone was most likely still sleeping right now. Well, everyone except possibly Juniper and Aunt Bianca, given the occasional all-nighters and such.

"Well, you can always give everyone else a call later anyways. Well, everyone except Cheren, he'll be especially busy today." Mary couldn't help but pin an obscenely long dunce cap atop Cheren's head in her mind for deciding to be both a gym leader and a teacher at the same time. That pompous little dingle always had a penchant for trying to prove himself way too much. Seriously, he couldn't have just picked one career or the other!?

"I'll keep that in mind, but I need to get going soon." Jacky walked back to his room to grab his shoes before heading out for the front door. "Feel free to come by and watch the match if you want to." He picked up his backpack from the side of the entryway and opened the door to leave. "Love you, mom!"

"Love you too, Jacky, I'll stop by in a little while and try to catch the fight. Give that old fart hell, okay!" She waved him off until he'd left the house before considering making a few calls of her own.

Back into the cool and somewhat salted air of Alola's outdoors, Jacky took in the nightly atmosphere for a moment. He took his first big step just yesterday and now, here he is, ready to make his next big step the day after. It was a touch surreal, to be perfectly frank, but he knew it was honest-to-Palkia reality. From the moment his hands reached for his team's pokeballs to return the bulk of them, it was clear to him that he really was a trainer on a journey. He still didn't feel like one, not completely, but it was more than he'd ever felt before he completed Ilima's trial, despite the numerous trainers he'd already battled beforehand.

He extended a hand to his Xtransceiver to put out a call for his sister, awaiting her answer as he heard a faint ringing noise emerge from the device. After a few seconds, Sabrina's image appeared on the screen, that bright smile plastered on her face as always. She was a touch different looking from Jacky, appearing more like their mother, but with black hair, instead of red and with a slightly more tan shade to her skin, and round, jade green eyes. "Hey bro, what's up? Did you and mom make it to that Alola place okay?"

"Nah, our flight got struck down by Lugia and we're stranded on a deserted island, barely scraping by."

Sabrina giggled a little and decided to play along for a little bit. "Oh really? Now that I look a little closer, your hair looks really funky, and that face! Dearest brother, whatever has happened to you?"

"Very funny. How are things going over in Kanto? Last I heard, you gave Brock a run for his money." His sister, Sabrina, had been taking a journey in the Kanto region since before Jacky and their mother left for Alola. It's actually the reason she stayed behind in the first place, wanting to see her adventure through to the end. Mary even took Sabrina to Pallet Town herself so Sabrina could meet the local professor in person and receive her starter. She'd keep them up to date every month or so on her progress since she left home, and especially after Jacky and Mary moved away, but sometimes when Jacky talks to her, he'd ask her himself.

"I just beat that Surge guy from Vermillion City just yesterday, actually! His Voltorb gave us a scare when it self-destructed, but the real heart attack was his Raichu. Even a grass-type like Rafflesia was having a tough time against it." As if on cue, Sabrina's starter, now an Ivysaur, poked her head into the picture, wanting attention. "Calm down, Raffy, I won't be long."

After giving her Ivysaur a few pets, she returned her to her pokeball and resumed the conversation. "So, what's going on with you over in your little island paradise, Jacks?"

He couldn't help but snicker at the moniker, as if it was a complete joke. "'Island paradise' my ass, my first night here and I fall off a bridge! Now I'm fighting giant-ass Raticate, busting my ass catching Rattatas, and-!"

"That's a lot of ass going around, Jacks." Always the smartass… "Let's roll back a bit though. Go back down the list and you explain to me what the heck you've been doing up there."

"I nearly fell into a ravine my first night here, I have Pokemon now, and things are incredibly different here in Alola than in Kanto." He wasn't going to go full-blown essay mode like with his mother again, he just didn't have the energy nor the care to do it. Nevertheless, it was at least a tiny bit clearer when he said it like that. "Alola doesn't have gyms or badges, they have trials. They're like tasks you have to complete, and mine just so happened to end with me on the business end of a giant Raticate's buck teeth."

"Oh wow, that's… incredibly hard to believe." She certainly looked skeptical, though he didn't blame her at all. He never would've believed it himself if it weren't for his battle with it. Still, he had proof, or at least someone he knew had proof.

Jacky pulled out RotomDex and opened up the PokeFinder gallery, scrolling through the pictures taken. While he, personally, didn't have time to snap shots of the Totem Raticate, he was certain that Rotom was. A few more swipes later, and voila, there they were: Fairly decent quality photos of the Totem, along with his team making their collective distraction. Rotom was oddly despondent at the moment, but Jacky didn't pay it any mind outside of a passive observation as he pulled up that specific photo and showed it to his sister.

It was obviously a little hard for her to see what was on-screen for a minute, but eventually she got a clear enough look to see the proof. "Wow, that's incredible! Wait, hold on a second and roll back again… You're a trainer now?"

"I did mention I was planning to get a Pokemon before the move, didn't I?"

"Well yeah, but you never said anything about being a full trainer, never mind doing stuff like this!" She wasn't upset at all with him, and as a matter of fact it was quite the opposite. She seemed fairly pleased to hear the news, though there was a slight concern. "So, will you be okay doing this then, or…?"

"I've been doing fine so far, so I think I can keep it going for at least a little while longer." He himself wasn't as thrilled as Sabrina was, but he wasn't apprehensive about it anymore, at least not as much. "Which reminds me, next time you see Kin and Orianna, tell them I said hello."

"Oh, sure thing! Kin actually made it all the way to Fuchsia City, but Ori's only staying at Lavender Town right now, so I can at least catch up with her."

"Sounds good to m-!" Jacky was interrupted by a particularly loud and distinctly familiar voice, calling out to him and no doubt disrupting quite a few people's sleep.

"Hey, it's about time you got here, Slowpoke! I've been waiting here for ages!" There he was, in all his deafening glory. One had to wonder at Hau's words just how long he'd been waiting for Jacky. Considering he probably lives in Iki Town, he probably waited for a while, though the real mystery was in if he'd made any attempts to occupy himself at all, or if he simply stood rooted to that spot waiting.

"Sorry, sis, I'll have to talk to you later." He cut the call after a quick farewell and closed the rest of the distance from Iki Town. He was finally here, and it wouldn't be long now before this whole grand trial thing began. He's somewhat curious about the Kahuna, but also a slight bit anxious about it as well, yet a fair deal confident it wouldn't be too rough. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be checking these chapters for instances where I might've forgotten a transition or two, because I just noticed AO3 isn't the best at keeping the triple spaces those horizontal lines nest in.  
> As for the chapter itself, what did you guys think of this one? I tried to make a time for relaxation as my chance to give the Pokemon a moment to themselves, and just in general as more practice for more mundane bits of the story. I want my story to be balanced as possible, so I'd like some thoughts if you can spare them.


	9. Finding My Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacky arrives to do the Grand Trial, however Hau has elected to wait for Jacky before he takes his own! Now it looks like he's going first, so how well will the boy do?

“Hey, buddy, took you long enough to get here!” Hau ran down the path to meet Jacky halfway, the two boys greeting each other with a smile. Robin was fluttering close behind the tan young man, already irked to see Cinnamon following Jacky’s heels closely. Seems a night, or in Jacky’s case, day of sleep didn’t quite mend the bird’s pride. 

“Yeah, sorry, I was just taking my time. Besides, I figured since you fought your grandpa that I wasn’t going to keep anyone waiting so--!” 

“What are you talking about?” 

Jacky paused and stared at Hau, who seemed completely serious, his smile vacant from his face. He wasn’t upset or angry, but he wasn’t quite happy with the assumption, as if Jacky just said something really odd. “Well, didn’t you take your grand trial after I went home? You had plenty of time, after all.” 

“No. I wanted to put it off for a little bit until you were ready to go again.” As if the statement had served him a reminder, his lips turned up into that passionate smile again. “I want you to see me take my old Tutu down! This is our first grand trial, after all, so what fun is it if we don’t see each other take our first big steps?” 

Now that he said it like that, he supposed it wasn’t too surprising that Hau put the grand trial off too. “Alright then, would you like to do the honors and go first?” He felt himself brighten up as he saw Hau tremble excitedly, a shine in his eyes. It was like seeing a child being given a really nice gift.

“Of course! You watch my grand trial closely and I’ll show you just how strong I really am!” Robin cooed with a glare at Cinnamon, who seemed to be ignoring her, licking at a paw. “I’m gonna sweep the floor with tutu!”

He rushed back towards the arena at the edge of Iki Town, overwhelmed with excitement now. Jacky followed him, climbing the steps in the town’s center to the ring, joining his buddy’s side. “Sweep the floor with him, huh? Alright, then show me what you’ve got.” That vibrance he maintained all the time, how could Jacky have anything close to that…

“So I see you two are finally ready to challenge me and mark your first great push in your island trials!” Hala emerged from his home in the distance, approaching the opposing end of the ring. “Hau had put off the challenge all night, it was quite a surprise. It was amusing though, seeing him jitter like that.” After getting a chuckle out of Jacky from the image, Hala pulled out one of his ultra balls and threw it out, calling on a Mankey first. “Now then, Hau, shall we begin your grand trial?” 

Jacky gave him a slap on the back, offering him encouragement before Hau stood on the ring proper. “Alright Tutu, I’m ready!” With a toss, he sent out Misa’s pokeball, letting the electric mouse free to face Hala’s Mankey. “Misa, remember to Play Nice with Tutu’s Pokemon!” The smaller-than-average Pikachu nodded and rushed her opponent, making the Mankey go on the defensive instinctively before… nothing happened. It slowly lowered its arms, as Misa stood awfully close and nuzzled the monkey Pokemon before bounding back to Hau’s side of the ring. 

“Trying to confuse my Mankey is smart, but you won’t win with playtime! Mankey, strike that Pikachu down with Karate Chop!” Hala’s Pokemon shook off the puzzled feeling it had as it leaped towards Misa, raising a firm hand up to strike her down. Just as its attack hits, Misa manages to leap out of the way, even playfully spinning through the air once before landing on her feet lightly. 

“Good job, Misa, now keep that speed up and nail it with a Quick Attack!” Giving another bound through the air, Misa jubilantly hops and flips around the ring with a burst of dizzying speed, managing to evade Mankey’s eyes long enough to bash it in the back. “Good job!”

Jacky was pretty impressed with Hau’s start, seeing a side he didn’t get to see during their own battles. He had Cinnamon take Misa out quickly during their fight, so she didn’t get a chance to show him what she could do, but now, looking at her toy with that Mankey. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to be a pushover once she evolved.

“Mankey, Focus Energy and wait for your next opportunity,” Hala commanded, his lip curving into a smirk. Mankey closed its eyes and went quiet holding a wide stance as it stood in wait. While it was awaiting its chance, Misa was lively and constantly moving around, even hopping up to give Hau a high five with her tail. The difference between the two trainers in the ring was almost as polar opposite as night and day. 

“Alright Misa, let’s nail it with another Quick Attack, and really take him down!”

As Misa charged at the Mankey, it opened its eyes, ready to meet Misa head on. Or so it seemed, because seconds before Misa’s body could make an impact, the Mankey hopped to the side. “Karate Chop!” Its response to Hala’s order was fast like lightning, raising its hand up and bringing it down on Misa’s back. 

“Misa, bounce back before he can hit you again!” Hau seemed to panic for a moment there as his Pikachu scrambled to her feet and rejoined her trainer. They started to focus on avoiding attacks, while they dodged and swerved away from most attacks, Hau seemed lost in thought. A look of stress and concern melted into one of his usual exuberant smiles. “Misa, keep up the dodges and ready an Electro Ball!” 

His Pikachu obliged and avoided the oncoming strikes Mankey brought on her, flitting to the sides and hopping back every which way. Every second, a new string of electricity flashed through her fur up to her tail, generating an orb of plasma at the end. Once it got large enough it was Hau’s moment. “Now smack that Electro Ball right in Mankey’s face!” With a speedy charge and a hop and a flourish, Misa whipped her tail towards Hala’s Pokemon. The moment the ball of lightning made impact, it burst with an electric explosion, sending the poor thing flying back at Hala’s feet unconscious. 

“Excellent, Hau! That was quite the performance you displayed there!” Hala returned the Mankey to its ball before retrieving another and calling forth a Makuhita. “Let us see if you can keep it up and earn your Fightinium-Z!” 

Hau grinned as he prepared to battle his grandfather’s next Pokemon, keeping Misa in the ring for now. “I’ll keep up and more, Tutu!” 

As the next round of the battle began, Jacky noticed Lillie had arrived, short of breath and late to the party, but eyes already glued to the ring. A certain interest on some level, surely, in spite of her lack of fondness for battle. “I’m so sorry I’m late, Jacky. The professor got caught up watching two Makuhita fighting over territory. What have I missed?” 

Jacky snickered a little at her reason for tardiness, but held off on jesting over it. “It’s okay, you only missed one round, really. Hau just kicked one of Kahuna Hala’s Pokemon to next week.” He watched the battle unfold as Misa kept up with Makuhita, though he noted that the Pikachu had begun to slow down quite a bit. No, that wasn’t right at all…

“She’s getting run ragged…” He alternated his gaze between Hau and Misa with every command issued over the course of the fight. “Hau doesn’t seem to have noticed, but Misa’s moves are getting sluggish.” 

Lillie seemed completely clueless as well and tried to pay closer attention, only realizing the truth when Misa’s attempt at a dodge resulted in a stumble. A quick evasive maneuver meant to end with her front paws helping her safely land back on all fours led to a lack of balance followed by a rough fall onto her side. It was at this moment that Hau, too, realized how exhausted Misa had become. 

The blonde-haired girl turned back to her friend next to her, only to note his eyes were locked entirely on Hau now. “Jacky…? Are you okay?” 

He blinked for a moment before coming back to reality, turning back to Lillie. “Oh, sorry about that, I was just thinking about something.” There was something he had noted about Hau, even as he panicked, he still had that glimmer of childish whimsy in his eyes. 

“Down one Pokemon, Hau. Best be cautious here on out, or you might just be crushed by our furious attacks.” Hala stomped his foot down against the ring floor to emphasize his words. “Bring out your Rowlet and let’s put an end to this battle!” 

Jacky watched as Hau called on Robin, somewhat upset by his first loss, his face holding a firm look of determination. “Yeah, let’s do this! Robin, knock its block off with Peck!” His partner fluttered into the air and swooped down, bashing it over onto its rump. Swooping up back into the air, high above the Makuhita where it couldn’t reach, Robin eventually stopped her ascent. “And one more time!” With that, she dive-bombed towards Hala’s Pokemon, furling her wings to give her a speedy descent. 

Too fast for the fighting-type to get up and dodge, Robin’s beak dug into its belly, drawing blood. It was only after Robin was fluttering a good distance away from the opponent that Hau noticed. To say that it was unexpected would be a grievous understatement, and it was apparent to all that he didn’t like that turn-out. 

Hala returned Makuhita to its ball, quietly staring at Hau from across the ring. No, not Hau, he was staring at Robin, actually. Jacky tore his eyes away to try and figure out what Hala was so focused on, before spotting a very faint silvery light flickering throughout the Rowlet’s feathers. “Ah, that explains it! Your Rowlet’s preparing to evolve soon, so it’s no wonder such a simple Peck could hurt my Makuhita like that.” He smiled and waved his hand at Hau, dismissing the accident. 

That didn’t feel right… “Hey, Rotom, is Robin really about to evolve?” Answering his call was the droopy-eyed RotomDex, apparently having just woken up. He didn’t even think it was possible for fake eyelids to feel heavy. 

“Zttztt! Yep, it seems that way, kid. That sparkling is pretty telling to me, and besides the Kahuna said so, right?” Rotom didn’t seem to really read the mood, though to be fair he was asleep until now. “If that’s all you needed, then I’m gonna count some more electric Mareeps, if you don’t mind…” 

After Rotom hovered back into his backpack, Jacky noticed Hau had been listening. He didn’t seem to read Jacky very well either, so hearing RotomDex basically confirm Hala’s explanation made him feel at least a little better. It was only then did he let the final round of the trial commence. 

“Well, I hope it doesn’t happen again,” Lillie sighed woefully, a hand hovering over her bag gently. The accident had apparently shaken her much more than it did Hau, a slight tremble in her body. Thinking of it, it wouldn’t be surprising if it reminded her of Nebby being attacked by those Spearow. 

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Hau’s a good trainer, after all, so I’m sure he won’t let it happen again, especially now that he knows the cause.” Jacky wasn’t too sure, though, but it was best to keep his concerns to himself. For now, he should just watch the rest of the battle and figure things out later. 

Hala’s final Pokemon was a Crabrawler, which seemed to have an immediate issue with Robin for some reason. “Oh ho, don’t mind him, he doesn’t like birds very much.” The Pokemon snapped its big claw at Robin, accompanied by a few wet clicking sounds. Immediately Robin’s face became angry and it hooted furiously back at it. The hell did that crustacean say to Robin that made her so pissed? 

“That crab’s gonna wish he didn’t say that to my buddy!” Eh? How the hell does he know what that Crabrawler said? “Peck it like you wouldn’t believe, Robin!” As the bird started fluttering into the air to start the battle, a glimmer of light caught in Hau’s eyes. 

It was reflecting off of the Z-Crystal firmly locked into Hala’s ring as he moved his body in a small dance. This was the Fighting-type Z-Move, he knew that for sure, so Jacky’s eyes locked onto Hala first, examining his movements. Better to learn the moves sooner rather than later, after all, but after he’d seen that, he then looked at the Crabrawler as light from the crystal shot towards it and enveloped it. This would actually be his first time seeing a Z-Move, since he never really got the Normal-type’s movements down well enough to use it in battle. 

“Ready, Crabrawler?” The Kahuna and his partner looked determined as the latter launched towards Robin. 

“Robin, get out of the way, now!” Hau watched as the Crabrawler nailed the Rowlet with an uppercut, launching it up and speedily leaping into the air before slamming it back into the ring. Just before impact, and any more strikes from the Z-Move could land, a bright flash of light burst from Robin's body. When the light settled, the Rowlet was gone, and in her place a Dartrix. The rest of the attacks on her seemed to affect her much less, making Hala laugh. 

“No more fortuitous a time to evolve than this. Crabrawler, use Power-Up Punch!” 

“Robin, use Peck!” Hau’s Dartrix took off back into the air, flying over Crabrawler’s attack and pecked it in the face, sending it stumbling back a bit. “And again!” Robin didn’t need any more encouragement than that, and rushed Crabrawler again, throwing it out of the ring completely, and also straight to dreamland. 

“Looks like your partner became too fast for my Crabrawler, Hau.” Hala returned his final Pokemon back to its ball and approached his grandson from across the ring. Taking Hau’s hand, Hala placed two things into it, a Fightinium Z and a tiny token that Jacky realized was meant to slot into their trial charm. A sign that they’d made a great leap in their challenge, surely.

Hau felt him brighten and his chest swell as he burst into excitement. “Yes! Did you see that, guys! I beat the first Grand Trial!” He leaped off the ring, fumbling with his landing as he made a hopping approach towards Jacky and Lillie, trying to maintain his balance. “And look at Robin! She evolved, and isn’t she just a handsome birdy!” 

Lillie approached Robin cautiously and crouched down to get a closer look at her new form. “She looks amazing, Hau. I’m glad she’s not too hurt, but I hope Misa’s okay.” 

“She’ll be fine. Nothing a little bit of rest can’t help!” Hau came off very chipper about his victory to say the least, and his worries during the battle seemed to have washed away. “Did you see me out there, bud?” He turned his attention to Jacky now, eyes bright and smile wide.

“I’d have to be blind not to, with you showing off all the time.” Jacky laughed and pushed Hau’s face back a bit. “But if you keep getting so close like that, that’ll be just as bad as being blind. Good job out there, buddy, you really showed your grandpa how Hau does things.”

Hala approached the trio laughing at their vigor with three ultra balls in his hands. “Quite the celebration, but it’s not quite over yet. Jacky, you still have to face me as well, remember?” He tucked his ultra balls away. “But you’ll need to wait a little while, as they’re all tired and injured from Hau’s trial, so I’ll need to take them to the center.” 

Hau seemed disappointed for a moment, as if he completely forgot that he’d just beaten up all three of his grandfather’s Pokemon just minutes ago. However, he returned to that Hau brand of enthusiasm when he brewed an idea in that head of his. “Hey, why don’t you two come to my house while we wait? I’ve been to you guys’ places, but you’ve never been to mine yet, right?” 

Jacky and Lillie exchanged glances between each other, neither one against the idea, before looking to Hala. The old man seemed welcome to the idea and gave his immediate okay to go while he headed for Hau’oli. “Yeah, alright, I’m sure it won’t be boring at least.” He laughed as Lillie elbowed him a bit.

“Alright then hurry up and follow me!” Hau led them past the ring in Iki towards his home, the largest house in the town without a doubt. The interior was clean and well-furnished, with waves carved into the wood of the walls and a door leading out onto a patio in the far end of the main room that overlooked the sea. Hau led them through one of the doors to a bedroom, very obviously his. As a clear contrast to the cleanly kept living room before, Hau’s was more evidently lived-in, with belongings and personal trappings awkwardly grouped together on top of his side table, dresser and bookcase.

The latter piece of furniture had, on the lowest shelf, a small variety of books that lent proof of a rather scattershot set of interests - Dance, Pokemon, baking, etc. All of which there was only really one or two books for each before it transitioned unceremoniously into nothing but comic books. The middle shelf held a collection of games for a Switch, something Jacky felt a bit personally envious about, seeing as he only had a Wii U at home. On the sidetable were a few figurines of characters from various video games, overlooked by a huge Pikachu plushie behind them. 

On the floor, surrounding a full basket of clothes, were more clothes that he clearly could no longer fit in the aforementioned hamper. His bed was a messy pile of a big, plush blanket, a number of pillows, and a number of items such as a game controller, tv remote, and a 3DS. Lillie took a seat on the edge of the bed hesitantly, likely wondering if it was okay to, but after hanging in an inbetween pose of standing and moving to a sitting position, she figured he was fine with it. 

Jacky merely stood around, surveying the room and all its finer pieces of context into how Hau treats his personal living space. The boy was wondering whether he should or shouldn’t be surprised that this was the way Hau’s room was, considering they were both sixteen years of age at the time. Much older than the irresponsible runts they used to be in their younger years, so there was less leeway to be so messy, but when he got down to it, he didn’t really care. It didn’t smell, it wasn’t really a disgusting mess or anything, just a touch untidy and disorganized. 

“So, what do you guys want to do first?” Hau asked them with barely held back enthusiasm. “I’ve got some video games and books, I even got a few boxed sets of Legend of the Gallade!” He waltzed right over to his closet and pulled it open, the bi-fold door, well, folding into itself. Turning on the light for his closest and reach out to the side, he seemed to be grabbing at something, and a quick lean to the side gave Jacky and Lillie just the angle they needed to see the built-in shelf on the side of his closet, just below where his clothes hung. 

Hau emerged from his closet with a few big cases in his hands, each with a different printing on the front, but all of them had the same title. The aforementioned Legend of the Gallade tv show, collectively contained into however many DVDs were tucked away into each boxed set. Jacky was a fan of the series himself, but he unfortunately never got any of the DVDs himself, since they were so damn expensive. “Sounds like a good way to kill time for me. We starting from the beginning or what?” Jacky approached Hau and took a couple cases to glance them over.

Set volumes one and two, the first having a Gallade baring a grin befitting a scoundrel, while the second had a Gardevoir with a very focused gaze, silver light shaped in the form of a thin sword in one hand. When he really thought about it, Jacky couldn’t quite remember the last time he’d watched the show since it stopped airing. He wouldn’t mind seeing the adventures of Ares and Aria again. Hau was suggesting starting points, seeing as the both of them had clearly seen the whole show. “Maybe the Tornadus arc or the Everfall Grand Tournament?”

“Those both sound good, but I don’t think anything really beats the Shadowheart saga.” Jacky grinned at Hau, seeing the boy nod his head in some level of agreement.

“Yeah, that’s a good one, alright. It was so cool when Ares finally--!” 

Lillie was completely lost as she’d practically been shut out of the conversation by accident. She had no idea what either of them was talking about, nor did she recognize the program they were gushing over. Should she tell them, or should she just leave them to it? If she let them pick some random place in the middle of the show, she’d be totally confused though. “Um, I’ve never really seen it before…” It was not surprising that when Hau turned to look at her like she had two heads that Lillie pondered if she had unleashed a monster.

“You’ve never seen it?” Even louder than ever in his stark disbelief that anyone could possibly never have seen it, Hau approached Lillie, one of the cases held up as if shaking it in her face might jog loose some lost memory of watching it on a droll saturday afternoon. 

“No, I didn’t watch much television, to be honest, so I wouldn’t know about very many shows.” As those words had left Lillie’s mouth, it was as if a ballista bolt had just jammed itself right into his core. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t very interested when I was younger.” And that was like the second volley, crushing him even more. Desperate to salvage his mood, Lillie panicked and shot up from the bed walking over to Jacky and taking the volume one case. “It’s not so bad, Hau! Look, we can still watch it, it’ll be my first time too!” 

“She’s got a point, you complete and total drama queen.” Jacky chuckled and took the case back, popping it open and grabbing the first disc to put into Hau’s player. “You have the whole series, dude. We’ll just watch it from the beginning, okay? Problem completely solved.” 

Hau put an abrupt halt to his overblown reaction and laughed with a touch of embarrassment. “Right, sorry about that.” He sat down on the side of his bed as the swell of music rolled in from his TV, filling the room with the show’s theme as Jacky hit play just before going to sit down on the bed by Lillie.

“It’s okay, Hau. It is pretty funny, though.” Lillie had a laugh, not minding as Nebby popped out of her bag and plopped itself right onto the bed next to her. “You should be fine right here, Nebby, just as long as you don’t leave the room.” She watched the screen as the show’s first episode cold-opened with a Gardevoir being chased through the alleys of a mundane medieval city by a pair of thuggish and scarred Pokemon, Houndoom and Conkeldurr respectively. 

As the three watched the show together, Jacky heard Hau whisper excitedly to Lillie about everything going down on the TV screen. Lillie quietly watched, seemingly ignoring Hau, giving minimal response. Looked like she was already hooked for now, so that was good. He looked down towards the diminutive little Nebby between him and Lillie and wondered. 

As the first few episodes ended, Hau got up from his bed and went straight for the door, making a quick mention of the bathroom. With the show on pause, there wasn’t much to do, so Lillie took the opportunity to start a conversation. “I’m enjoying the show so far…” 

“That’s a relief, I was wondering how you might respond to it. The effects aren’t as fancy as what we’ve got these days and it can get a bit corny here and there, and-!” He had to stop himself, or he might just sound like he hated it. “Ah, sorry about that, I swear I like this show.” He sighed as Lillie gave a soft laugh, feeling a touch embarrassed.   
“Don’t worry, I believe you.” She pat Nebby as the tiny thing continued to watch the screen, even if it wasn’t moving anymore. “I think it’s charming, personally. When they make really high jumps, it looks kinda funny though.” 

“Oh yeah, a lot of people like to call that ‘Wire Fu’, for obvious reasons.” Pokemon can be pretty acrobatic, but sometimes the production staff just can’t help themselves, it seems. “We’ve gone through five episodes so far, do you have any favorite characters yet?” 

Lillie smiled enthusiastically and gave a firm nod as she recalled what she’d just finished viewing. “I like Queen Tethys a lot, she’s so good to everyone, especially Ares and Aria. I wish she’d stop sending them on quests so much though, can’t the kingdom wait ten minutes?” 

Jacky couldn’t help but laugh as Lillie pouted and complained about the repeated missions and quests so far. “I see where you’re coming from, it’s like the kingdom is constantly under threat for one reason or another. Like, what are the knights of Everfall for, just standing around and looking cool?” 

“Didn’t Queen Tethys say all knights were well-trained, why can’t they catch a common thief in the town market?” This conversation went back and forth for a little while, long enough for Hau to return from his rest stop.

“Hey, What are you guys talking about?” he asked quite loudly, getting in very close to Jacky, obviously having heard enough to know the general vibe of what they were saying. The boy had to push him back a touch for some of that good ol’ personal space. 

“Oh nothing, nothing at all!” Jacky grinned devilishly as he grabbed the boy and pulled him down, tapping the top of his head with his knuckles. “We were just debating how hollow your skull really is, nothing special.” 

“Oh that sticks it! I’m gonna knock you around silly, lolo!” He called Robin over, heated and anxious for a battle. Looks like showing Lillie his favorite show wasn’t the only thing that got him excited, he must’ve been especially proud of winning his battle against Hala. 

“Wait, he can’t just do that, he’s still got his Grand Trial!” Lillie had cut in, fairly upset, probably for a few reasons, not the least of which was the sudden bout of conflict. Then again, she could also be upset that they were distracting from what they were originally spending their time doing, i.e. watching the show. 

Her point seemed to remind Hau of something important as he pulled away from Jacky and cleared his throat. “Right, that actually reminds me! I just got word that Tutu finished getting his Pokemon treated and he’ll be back in a few minutes.” 

“Looks like my turn’s finally coming up then, great,” he sighed melodramatically as he swings his legs over the edge of Hau’s bed. “Well, I guess I’ll be giving Deagle a good workout then. After seeing your battle, Hau, I don’t wanna take any chances. The sooner I beat Hala, the better, you know what I mean?” Now that he thought about it, this really was the last of his trials on the island, wasn’t it? He had to make a decision soon on what he was going to do next, whether he’d pull out or keep going. “Hey, Hau, you’re going to be continuing the island challenge, right?”

Hau’s smile shrank a bit at the question, knowing just a bit where this question was coming from. “Yeah, of course I will, buddy. After all, that fight with Tutu was just a taste of his real strength, and if I want to surpass him, I’m gonna need to get way stronger than this. The Island Challenge just feels pretty practical in that way, you know?” 

“Yeah, I understand.” Jacky turned his attention to Lillie now, the girl holding Nebby in her arms delicately. Her eyes were looking his way with some quiet concern, giving him a semblance of that girl he met on his first night here. “And what about you, Lillie? You going to stick around on this island or what?”

“Actually, I was hoping to go with Hau, check out the other shrines for Nebby’s sake. Besides, there’s a few people on Akala Island I wanna see while I’m there too.” She looked like she wanted to say something else, but kept quiet about it, likely out of second guessing. Hau cut in, not hesitating at all to speak his mind.

“Look, Jacky, if you decide you want to stop here, we’ll totally understand. It’ll be real disappointing to not have you there so I can kick your can, but like the prof said, it’s all your choice.” Hau dropped his smile altogether, looking quite serious for once, as he delivered his next words. “Even if it’ll be less fun without you, don’t you go letting us tell you what you should or shouldn’t do.” 

“Hau’s right, Jacky! It would be sad if you weren’t there with us, but if it makes you happier to be at home, then I’ll definitely support your choice!” Even Lillie, seemingly motivated by Hau’s own little speech, seemed to pluck up some resolve out of her usual timidity. “Don’t let anyone, not even Tapu Koko, force you to go unless you want to.” 

There was a pressure in his chest, a tight sensation as he listened to their encouragement. From their willingness to let him be, to their wholehearted support, right down to Lillie basically saying screw Tapu Koko, he couldn’t help but really feel a real sense of gratitude for these two. “Thanks, you guys. That all really means a lot, I swear.”

He had quite a bit of pressure on whether or not to do this, but never from these two, not even from the professor, and certainly not his former champion of a mother. During his whole run through the trials on this island, their support’s been a constant comfort. He didn’t have to do any of this, but they always understood that and never tried to force or guilt him staying. Despite Tapu Koko itself clearly wanting him to do this, they still told him it was his choice.

How could he say no to all of that? 

“Well, I’m sure I’ll know for sure what I’m doing after my grand trial, right?” He swiped the remote off of the bed and clicked play on the DVD player. “And besides, what better time to make a decision than the climax, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another thing I wanted to try doing, giving other characters some battle focus on the side. Gives more action outside of Jacky's own share of Pokemon battles, and gives more variety than the efficiency of a player character.


	10. Stepping into a New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for Jacky's Grand Trial, a battle against Hala, the first Kahuna!

He was ready, so damn ready you wouldn’t even know just how ready he was, I’m serious. He was ready to go up into that ring, send out Deagle, and whomp all of Hala’s Pokemon. Kahuna, sure, obviously a skilled trainer, sure, but Jacky was on a hot streak and he was so… ready. Hoo boy, was it getting hot in here, or was it just our slightly nerve-wracked protagonist imagining things? No, no, no, what did he have to worry about for the grand trial? 

This was the first grand trial, after only one regular trial, right? They wouldn’t hit new trial-goers with challenges that they weren’t prepared for, right? Of course, they wouldn’t! After all, how else would anyone possibly be able to complete the island challenge if they did go at them too hard, that just wouldn’t make sense! He just needed to think of it as a gym battle, that’s it! It was basically the same, fighting a specialist in one type and gaining an item of interest that marked his progress! 

“Um, are you okay, Jacky?” The boy Lillie gave her concern to had left Hau’s house with the rest of them, ready for a battle, ready to put his first grand trial behind him. Then he slowed down and seemed to spiral into deep thought, and then full-on stopped in place. He’s been like that for a few minutes now, in fact. 

“What are you waiting for, man? This should be a piece of cake for you, right?” Hau, devoid of any sense of mood, smacked Jacky hard on the back, piledriving him out of his rampant thoughts. “You even got the advantage, too! You know exactly what Pokemon my old-old man is going to use and everything! You know what moves they can use too!” 

Jacky looked Hau’s way, levitied a touch by his friend’s boundless enthusiasm as Hala waited on his end of the ring. “I suppose that’s true, I did get to see a lot from your grand trial.” He calmed down significantly as he took a second to consider all the knowledge he’s been given by watching Hau’s battle. 

“Yeah, there ya go! You’ve got nothing to worry about, so you get up there and show my tutu what you can do!” It really meant something to Jacky to have them here, how quickly they eased his nerves. It was something to ponder, just how willing he would’ve been to continue this challenge if Hau and Lillie weren’t here. 

“Right, I’ll have him out of this ring in no time.” Jacky stepped up to stage, readying a pokeball for the battle. Fighting types meant that Deagle would be the best fit for the fight, so he selected her for the battle. The Trumbeak flapped her wings after a gleeful hop into the air, eager to lead a fight this time. 

Hala smiled at the trainer’s choice, seeing his preparedness and will to fight, coupled charmingly by his partner’s want to throw down. “I see you’re taking as much advantage as you can over me. As expected of one chosen by our guardian, you’ve stepped up to complete your final trial here on Melemele Island. Your courage won’t be in vain, I promise, for I will give you a fitting battle for your grand trial. Old Hala is going all-out for this bout, come join me, Mankey!” He let out his first Pokemon, the aforementioned Mankey, who glared viciously the moment he saw the eager flying-type across the ring. 

Deagle seemed unperturbed by the infuriated opponent, even shaking her tail feathers his way to taunt it. She knew she had this in the bag no problem and she had no issues shoving that fact into the Mankey’s face. Of course, it didn’t take long for Deagle’s opponent to throw a fit and make a leap at her without a single word from Hala, taking a hard fall when Deagle flapped her wings and fluttered out of the way.

The Mankey continued to chase Deagle around as she continued to make rude and taunting japes at her opponent. Pounce after pounce after pounce she dodged, until one such evasion left her stumbling, leaving her open to a Karate chop. “Hmhmhm,” Hala laughed spiritedly, “are you quite done or shall we give you a moment?” Old man was being cheeky about it, but something felt off about him. Jacky was sure he saw a glimmer of irritation, even if for just a second. 

Deagle hopped over to Jacky’s side, ready to begin the fight in earnest, looking up at him with a grumpy face. “Hey, don’t look at me, you deserved that one, now get in there and use Pluck!” The huffy Trumbeak swallowed her pride for the time being and hopped up into the air, flapping her wings for height before using them to swoop in and jab Mankey out of the ring with her beak, the force knocking it out in one shot. “Nice job, you show-off!” He laughed as Deagle proved herself worthy of the title by doing a few aerial moves above the ring before coming in for a landing, awaiting her next prey.

“Excellent, your Trumbeak’s power is nothing to sneeze at, Jacky!” Hala clapped his hands bluntly, his hand reaching for his next ball after the fact and tossing out a Makuhita. “But we’re not through just yet, show old Hala what you can really do!”

Jacky raised his voice to order another Pluck attack, only for Hala to command a Fake Out, his Makuhita pouncing close to Deagle and slamming its hands together to create a powerful sound, making the bird flinch and stinging her something fierce. “Cute move, Hala, but I know those things only work once. Deagle, get it together and take it down!” With the Fake Out completely peeving her, Jacky’s Trumbeak was more than happy to pay it back for the attack, returning to the air and sweeping around the ring before slamming her beak against the Makuhita’s side, throwing it onto the floor and knocking it out. 

“Truly powerful, you’ve trained her well, but this is the final stretch. Let us see if you can keep this winning streak going!” He launched his final ball, unleashing a Crabrawler onto the ring, swinging its mitts through the air, raring to go. Hala crossed his arms and watched and the boy considered his next move.

Jacky looked over Deagle, sure that she must be tired after those two attacks against her. Even if the first wasn’t effective, it still did a good amount of damage, and then the Fake Out as well. “Alright, Deagle, you did great, now it’s time to switch out.” After recalling his Trumbeak, Jacky tossed up Nirvana’s ball, releasing the Slowpoke onto the ring. For now, Hala had Crabrawler use Leer, aiming to take Nirvana down with a couple quick blows. “Alright, a Confusion ought to do the trick!” Jacky’s partner let loose a lethargic and drowsy yawn, waves of psychic energy washing over the crab Pokemon and stinging its head with a blunt, dizzying pain, all while ignoring the tension of a foreboding Leer. 

“Things don’t seem good for us, Crabrawler, but stay strong!” Hala declared to his final partner as it gave another glaring Leer at Nirvana, starting to make even the lazy and relaxed Slowpoke nervous. After that guard-lowering staredown, Jacky caught sight of Hala seeming to steal a glance at his Z-Ring. Was he planning to use All-Out Pummeling on Nirvana next? No, with its defenses being lowered down, even with resistance to the fighting type, Jacky wasn’t confident in his Slowpoke’s chances of tanking it. 

“Confusion, Nirvana, right now!” he called, eliciting another blunt and disorienting sting in Crabrawler’s head before Hala could follow through on his next move. Crabrawler fell to the arena floor like a sack of bricks after a few seemingly over-extended seconds. It was down and out before Hala could even strike a pose, marking the end of the Grand Trial. The silence Jacky fell into after his last attack was immense, but once he’d finally processed his achievement, excitement welled up inside him. He jumped, throwing a tightly balled up fist through the air, eyes closed, grin wide, and his voice loud as he shouted out a great and proud, “We did it!” 

He wouldn’t celebrate his victory alone, feeling that giddy young friend of his throw his arm around his shoulder and pull him into a half hug. Shortly after he felt a normally gentle hand press against his back with a bit more force than he’d have expected from her, but he didn’t care and in fact he welcomed it. What surprised him more was the inclusion of a third party laughing boisterously, complimenting the moves he showed off and the power behind them.

Hau, Lillie, Kukui, these three propped him up when he was unsure of himself, and now were joining in the elation as much as if they were the ones who’d claimed victory. The final contributor to the moment belonged only to the man Jacky had taken down in battle, the Kahuna himself. “That was astounding, Jacky, the choices you made and the training it took for your Pokemon to be able to beat my own so swiftly. There truly is no doubt that you are deserving of this, the Fightinium Z-Crystal.”

Opening his eyes to the sight of the crystal in question, an earthy shade of orange gleaming in the moonlight. He took the crystal delicately from old man Hala’s hand and pocketed it. “Thank you, oh and don’t worry about teaching me the moves for it, I caught enough of it from Hau’s battle.” Jacky wouldn’t have thought he would be such if you’d asked him at the start of his journey or even just before the Grand Trial, but he was proud of himself in this moment. Proud of defeating each Pokemon in one or two hits, proud of recognizing when a Pokemon needed to swap, and proud of stopping Hala from using his Z-Move.

Breaking through the moment, the familiar sound of Tapu Koko’s cry roared through the air, sounding out approval of the battle that had transpired. “Hmph, ever since you’ve moved here, young Jacky, our guardian has been quite satisfied. Perhaps…” Hala brushed a hand across his chin in thought, a firm smile on his lips. “Yes, I think one day you could be strong enough to challenge him.” 

Jacky gave a chuckle as he brushed the thought away from his mind, not wanting to ruin the mood with the Tapu’s expectations. “Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I’ve barely started this challenge.” It wasn’t some grand purpose from a high power that got him all hyped up like this. He owed thanks for that to the people around him, and nothing was going to change that anytime soon.

“Very true, your island challenge has only just begun, my Grand Trial serving merely as a warmup. I’d prepare if I were you, for it will only continue to increase in difficulty as you go further and further down this road. Just promise me, when you’re on your journey, try to think of what it is that makes up the people and Pokemon you’ll meet.” Hala placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, offering these words to him in hopes that it will help him somewhere down the line, how far depended solely on him, though. 

The ground rumbled a bit, drawing attention away from Jacky and towards the back of the arena, watching as the Tauros from earlier arrived up the path. “My, it seems this Tauros is quite attached to you, young child. Whatever are we going to do with it?” The old man approached the bull Pokemon with zero concern for any notion of danger. “Well, I suppose if you’re going to continue to follow around our prospective challenger, we could put you to good use.”

Jacky stopped for a moment, confused by Hala’s words as he tried to imagine what he could do with a Tauros. Was Hala trying to offer the Tauros up to him as a new team member or what? However, before he could really think about it further, a familiar pinkette arrived at the Iki Town, waving to those gathered. “Ah, it looks as though I’ve missed out on your Grand Trial. Such a shame, I would’ve loved to see you in action after our bout before. Well, enough of that for now, I assume you were successful?”

Jacky flashed the Z-Crystal he received from the Kahuna, happy to prove the battle addict correct. He was free to proceed with the challenge and now had a new Z-Move to take advantage of. “Honestly, it wasn’t very long… or eventful,” the raven-haired boy admitted, looking around to check people’s reactions, but no one seemed put off. “Deagle made quick work of the first two Pokemon and Nirvana knocked out the last one with two hits.” 

“I’d say that’s an impressive spectacle in and of itself, Jacky.” Ilima pulled a small item from his pocket and approached Jacky. It seemed like it had some significance, as Hala laughed and joined the Trial Captain. “Jacky, this is a Ride Pager, myself and a good friend of mine worked on it together for the people of Alola. You can register Pokemon to it and call on them from a PC Storage System variation we created if you ever need a mount, or maybe even more than that.” 

“Impeccable timing, Ilima, I was just thinking of putting this curious Tauros to work!” Hala ignored Jacky’s hesitance with what they just told him as he took the Pager and started fiddling with it by Tauros’s side. While he was doing that, Ilima handed Jacky what looked to be safety equipment, likely for riding registered Pokemon. “And there we have it, this Tauros is now registered to your Pager!” 

After Jacky received the device from Hala, he pocketed it, not quite mentally ready to go riding a Tauros just yet. “Thanks, I’ll have to give it a whirl later, I suppose. Oh and Ilima, don’t sweat missing my battle, I can make it up to you with a rematch sometime.” The princely little battle addict seemed to love that answer, a vibrant smile spreading across his cheeks. 

“Will you now? Well I’ll have to keep myself properly prepared, in that case! I’ll be holding you to that promise of yours.” He waved to Jacky and his friends before excusing himself and taking off, slowing only to give Jacky’s Ride Tauros a gentle stroke along its side. “I can’t wait to see what challenge you bring me next time.”

After Ilima left, Hala excused himself as well, heading off to heal his Pokemon again and go home. “Well, now that you two have completed your Grand Trials, I guess I’d better prepare our ride to Akala.” Kukui stepped up and pat Jacky and Hau on the shoulders, as he made his own way out. “Be sure to get everything you need ready and sorted you two!” 

“Oh yeah, I need to grab my things, I left them all in my bedroom!” Hau panicked at the reminder he had belongings to keep an eye on. “Sorry guys, I’ll be back in a bit, don’t sail off without me!” And just like that, Hau was blitzing off as fast as his legs could take him to his house, leaving Jacky and Lillie alone by the ring. 

There was silence for a moment as Jacky considered what to do next, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere without saying goodbye to his mom. “I should probably get--.” However just as he was moving to leave town too, he felt a hand on his arm, tugging a bit at it. Lillie needed to ask him something, but the moment he looked her way, she retracted her hand, worried that maybe that was rude. “Lillie? What’s up, do you need something?”

“W-Well, yes, actually,” the girl answered quietly, her hand hovering over her bag, where Nebby rested. “I actually wanted to ask you a favor, if that’s okay.” 

“We’re friends, Lillie, of course you can.” 

That snappy response from the black-haired boy brought a smile to her face, prompting her to continue with her request. “I’m sure you’ve probably wondered about Nebby from time to time, well he’s actually from somewhere very far away. I don’t know exactly how he wound up in Alola, but I wanted to do something for him. I want to help him return home, wherever that is!” Her eyes gave a glint of determination for a moment, showing a scarce side to herself. However, after the moment passed, that determination became a look of shame and guilt. “Unfortunately, I’m not a trainer, not even close. So I can’t protect Nebby on my own, and so I was hoping that maybe… You could help me?” 

She sighed, letting the guilt weigh her down even further, ashamed of herself for asking this of him. For weighing him down with her own problems, problems she should resolve on her own. She knew he had his own problems to contend with, so she wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if he turned her down. “I know it’s just my own wish and it has nothing to do with you--”

“What are you talking about? This does have something to do with me, Lillie.” Jacky grinned, offering her some levity in hopes to help lift that weight. “It’s like I said, we’re friends, and I care about you and Nebby, even if it's only been for a little while.” He sighed as crossed his arms, not out of impatience, but a sense of nerves as he delved into something a bit more personal. “And besides that, you have a clear goal set for yourself to follow. That’s way more than I can really say for myself, you know?”

His finger tapped against his arm as his eyes looked over his Z-ring, recollecting how this whole journey got started in the first place. “This Island Challenge thing… I just don’t know what I’m going to do if I can even finish it in the first place. Just doing this in the first place wasn’t really my idea to begin with.” He shook off the jitters, not willing to bring down the mood even further. “But you have your end goal and if I can help push that along, then why the hell not?” His melancholy mood was quickly replaced by a jubilant smirk. 

Lillie was ecstatic at his acceptance to help her and Nebby, a smile even more joyous than his appearing on her face. “You really mean it, Jacky? Well, I guess I’ll be going to Akala with you and Hau, in that case!” And in that moment, he noticed it once again, the way she seemed to almost glow in the cool light of the moon. He was thankful it was such a cool night tonight, because if his face was flushed, he could blame it on the cold winds. 

The blonde-haired girl seemed to remember something as she straightened her bag and got ready to go. “I should probably go check on Kukui and make sure he’s not “researching” on our ride.” She waved goodbye as she took off, clearly elated by Jacky’s decision to help her with Nebby. 

Once Lillie was gone, he felt like he could relax a little, not realizing he was tensed up until just now. Lord, that girl always seemed to hit some kind of nerve, never in a bad way, but she never failed to affect him in some way. Moving on from that, Jacky still had to go home and say goodbye to his mother. Getting his bum into high gear, he went off on a jog down the hill of Route 1, making a straight shot for home. 

He didn’t bother with the Ride Tauros, seeing as how it wouldn’t take him long to get there, nor was he willing to try that right now. As he caught sight of the house in the distance, he could faintly smell something coming from the house. Something smokey and with a faint and recognizable sweetness that made him nearly drool. Arriving at the front door, he opened it without hesitation and caught a blast of the smell of very obviously barbecue ribs. “Mom, when did you have time for that?” 

His nose hadn’t lied to him, as he saw the meaty dish in plain sight on the table as he entered the house. His mother was just in the middle of wiping her hands down with a rag, the apron she’d used already tossed haphazardly into the left kitchen sink. “I got right to work on this soon after you left to do your Grand Trial, kiddo! You were gone long enough for me to get this done and a bit more.” She pulled up a bowl of mashed potatoes and some garlic bread, setting them both on the table before seating herself. 

Jacky followed suit after getting some food ready in dishes on the floor and letting his Pokemon out to eat too. “I guess I was gone longer than I expected,” he admitted, serving himself a bit of each item all the while. “So now that I’m done with all the trials on this island, I’ll be moving on to Akala soon with Hau and Lillie. Oh and Kukui’s apparently giving us a ride there, so that’s good.”

“It’ll be weird to imagine you’re on an entirely different bit of land, like I’m here in Alola and you’re in Kanto, know what I mean?” She took a bite of a rib she plucked up from the set, getting sauce on her face. She was as messy as she ever was, growing older didn’t ever seem to change that. “Well, putting that aside, remember to be careful and to always call me once in a while, okay? I have faith you’ll show this Island Challenge who’s boss, and not just because I have a bias as your mother.” 

Jacky gave a small snort before breaking into snickering, but Mary continued as if she didn’t hear that. “You’re a smart kid, Jacky, and if my own journey has taught me anything, it’s that as long as you can always be persistent and do your best, you can make it.” She shot her son a sly glare with the cheekiest grin she could manage before adding, “And before you ask, I did not get that off of a fortune cookie!” 

“Heh, thanks, mom.” As the two talked and ate their food, time passed and the moon shifted, with some time dedicated to just laying down for a nap. It’s been a good night, all things considered, having won his first big step, having some time spent with new friends, and even finding reasons to help keep himself going. He was even getting a ride from Kukui to the next island over, to top it off. He really was given a lot already, and as he drifted off to sleep, he had one thought:

“What did I do to deserve them?”

* * *

Jacky woke up when his face suddenly felt much warmer than ever, making him jolt upwards from his bed. After reconstituting his eyesight, he looked down as saw Cinnamon blowing hot air up into his face, making him close his eyes after the next breath. “Okay, I’m awake, Cinn, you can stop doing that now.” The Torracat seemed proud of himself as he hopped off the bed towards his mom, who stood at the door. “How long was I out?”

“Hmm… about long enough for Lillie and Kukui to ready the boat you’ll be going to Akala on.” Mary was crouched down, stroke a hand delicately along Cinnamon’s back, Purr-chase nowhere in sight. Probably shut up in her room to keep the two cat Pokemon from getting into a tiff again. “Which was about a half an hour ago! You’re a very heavy sleeper when you really get into it, you know?” 

Jacky yawned as he threw his legs off the side of the bed, still weighed down by drowsiness as he went off to get things ready. You could easily call him what he was, and that was a procrastinator. As he readied clothes and other things into a pack to take with him cross-island, things he’d neglected to do before he decided to dunk himself down in bed for a nap. Once he’d gotten everything set, he set himself towards the door out of the house, his mother following close behind.

Stopping at the door, he turned to his mom and hugged her tight, something she didn’t hesitate to return. “Love you, mom, I’ll be sure to call and visit from time to time.” 

Mary gave her son a momentary squeeze, and a kiss on the cheek on top of that, before letting him walk out the door. “You’d better, or I’ll sic Thanatos on you,” she joked, waving to him as he left out of sight to Hau’oli. After a minute of time, she shut the door and sat at the table, reaching to her belt and holding up a distinct purple pokeball. “You see that, Thanatos. He’s already on his way, so now we just have to wait.”

She gave a quivering laugh as her vision swam from a combination of emotions. “Now both of them are out in the world, growing up. If only he could be here to see it too…”

* * *

Arriving in Hau’oli city, it didn’t take Jacky long to find Hau just hanging around the restaurant where they got malasadas from. And just as he’d expected, the boy had two of the aforementioned cinnamony delicacies in his hands. If those were anything but a fried, sugary good, Jacky would be concerned about this apparent addiction, but he decided to move on from that silly train of thought. “Hey, Hau! You killing time stuffing that face of yours?”

“Actually I already had my share, thank you very much!” Hau very plainly feigned offense at the blunt comment his friend shot him. “These two are for you and Lillie, buuuut if you don’t want yours, I guess I’ll just…” He took one of the fried balls of delightful dough and hung it over his open mouth, pinched between his index finger and thumb.

Jacky walked over and swiped it from Hau with a bemused grin, taking a bite out of his Malasada. “No, I’ll happily take your sugary sentiments, Hau, thank you for the food.” He could certainly understand his love for the treats, a nice bunch of cinnamon and sugar over a crisp exterior with nice, soft bread underneath. Truly, this is what heaven must taste like to a guy like Hau.

“Speaking of Lillie, we should probably get going, Lillie got back to me about the boat a little while ago and said we’re set to go to Akala.” Hau kept a firm grasp on the malasada that remained in his hand and ran towards the marina. “Come on, Jacky, let’s get going!” 

Jacky followed him soon after, keeping pace and curious about the kind of boat they’d be sailing to Akala Island on. As a professor researching something as practical and widespread as Pokemon moves and combat, it made sense that he’d have the money to afford a boat. In fact, the boy wouldn’t be surprised if it was supplied to the guy for work purposes, to travel from island to island and stuff like that. Something sturdy and reliable, likely, so that it can withstand some rougher tides from time to time. 

All of those thoughts came crashing down once the boys arrived at the docks and spotted what would be their ride to Akala. He hoped that he was wrong, that the shirtless wonder wasn’t standing on it, waving his arm at them like nothing was wrong, that maybe he’d gotten the wrong boat. However, his conscience knew that he wasn’t wrong, and that the ramshackle approximation of a sea vessel in front of him and Hau was, indeed, Professor Kukui’s boat. Where to even begin…

The metal was dented and the wood looked rickety, not to mention the sail looked like it was busted and patched over a dozen times. It perfectly matched Kukui’s house in every possible way that Lillie’s implication that Kukui would sometimes perform his research on the deck of it felt so much less like a joke at this point. Looking at it now, he started to wonder if the boat was actually less patched up than Kukui’s house, which was a very worrying thought. Jacky and Lillie exchanged looks from the docks to the boat itself and she knew very well what was going through his mind, and he knew she knew. 

“Hey, Professor,” Hau called from the docks, his voice losing a bit of his usual enthusiasm, but it was apparent he was maintaining his optimism as best he could. “You sure she’s seaworthy? The boat looks like I could toss a pebble onto deck and it’d collapse under the pressure.” Hau meant it as a joke, but Jacky had half a mind to test that jestful little theory of his. 

“Hey, don’t go doubting her now, boys. Just think of the boat as experienced and well-seasoned when you climb onboard.” Kukui got a look from Lillie before he went off to ready the boat to take off. 

“I’d think it’s more accurate to say it has ‘history’,” Lillie sighed exhaustively, setting her bag down under the sail. She looked up at the boys, still staring at the condition the boat was in, clearly hesitant to put one toe on deck. “Don’t worry, it’ll hold during the trip, guys. I’ve been on enough trips on this boat with Kukui to know that much. I don’t know how it manages, but it just does, despite how it looks.”

Jacky was still reluctant, but he was definitely more hopeful when Lillie reassured them. And hey, if this really was their only way to Akala Island, than he might as well just step on and get it over with. The deck creaked under his steps, but they showed no signs of caving in, thankfully, so his confidence in his own safety heightened a bit. “I’ll be damned.” 

Hau only climbed on once he’d seen Jacky do it first, having saluted Jacky for the very brave risk he took. That just got him an elbow in his side when it all came down to it. Still, everyone was onboard and ready to leave. After confirming that first, Kukui started up the motor and moved the ship away from the docks onto the open sea.

The wind rushed by them as the boat picked up speed, giving Hau a rush of adrenaline as he made his way to the front of the boat. He gave out a loud cheer towards the salted seas that split the Alolan Islands, his prior concerns being swiftly replaced with an adventurous spirit. Seemed like Lillie wasn’t quite there with him as she called to Kukui over the wind. “Make sure not to push the boat too hard, Professor!” 

Hau laughed at Lillie’s caution, turning around with that trademark toothy grin of his. “You said yourself the boat would be fine. I think you’re just worried about losing that hat of yours!” 

Jacky grinned as he snarked back at the dark-skinned young man. “Says the last one to step on the boat. Or did you forget about my ‘brave risk’ from earlier?” 

Hau exploded with hearty laughs, just like his grandpa, as he turned fully around and leaned against the side of the boat. “That was before I actually got to ride a boat for the first time! Come on, Jacky, have a sense of adventure. You can’t tell me that travelling like this isn’t just the best thing ever, can you?” 

“That all depends on if we make it in one piece, Hau,” Jacky joked with a grin of his own as he looked ahead to the islands on the horizon. This was the next step in his journey, in boosting up Hau when he needs it, in helping Lillie send Nebby home, and maybe in finding out what he really wants to do with himself. Whatever may come, he would see it through for his friends…

Because that’s how he’d pay them back for everything they’ve done for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of Part 1 of Moonlit Nights, and the end of Melemele Island finally. I hope I was able to scrape away the tedium of the first Alolan Island at least a little bit, and that you've enjoyed the story so far.
> 
> I'd love to thank DarkHeroAxel and MaycontestDrew on Fanfiction.net, as they were my biggest inspirations getting this far. Axel has checked over every chapter doc before uploading to give me his thoughts and ideas on how to tweak them to make them better, as well as helped me iron out more details for the bigger story beats before and during writing, and May has commented on every single chapter I've put out so far on FF.net with such sweet words and desire to read more. They've helped motivate me to keep going and I wish them both luck in their own writing projects in the future.
> 
> May is actually the author of an incredibly high-quality Nuzlocke story of their own called The Iron Knight, set in a medieval Sinnoh where trainers are gladiators that have to do combat against each other alongside their Pokemon. There's blood and tragedy and lies and secrets and humor and so much to love. I'd even say it's officially published book quality.
> 
> Axel is planning to reboot a Nuzlocke fic of his own in the future and he's another author I aspire to be equal to one day, so I want him to get as much motivation and fortune as possible, especially in these trying times. That guy needs a whole good year, he's been such a sweetheart. 
> 
> And lastly, I'd like to thank you all who stop to read my own story, even if you don't comment, the fact that you were interested enough to give this fic a look is already well-appreciated. Thank you all!


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